FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
A young Cora arrived home to find her father passed out drunk on a wheelbarrow of sacks of grain. Next to him was another wheelbarrow full of sacks of prepared flour.
"Father," Cora called. "Father!"
"What?" the miller asked. "I'm resting."
She grabbed the bottle from his hand and smashed it against the ground. "You're always resting. The flour was due to be delivered this morning. I, for one, would like to be able to eat this week." She took the wheelbarrow of flour and headed towards the castle.
---
Cora arrived at the castle and began unloading the flour. A young Eva was there, along with King Xavier, Henry I, and the rest of their escorts. As the royal party walked past, Queen Eva tripped Cora, causing her to fall on her face and drop her bags of flour.
"You stupid, foolish girl!" Cora cried.
"What happened here?" King Xavier asked.
"Oh, the peasant fell," Queen Eva replied. "As they do."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Cora answered.
"Not you. Eva. Are you all right, Eva?"
"Well, she ruined my slippers," Queen Eva stated.
"I don't think the girl meant any harm," Henry I noted.
"You shall receive no money for the flour, and you will apologize to Eva," King Xavier told Cora.
"Apologize?" Cora repeated. "The wench tripped me."
"Curb your tongue. This is Princess Eva from the Northern Kingdom, our honored guest. She's a very important woman."
"She's a girl."
"And who are you, miller's daughter? What's your name?"
"Cora."
"Then kneel, Cora." Cora reluctantly knelt. "Now apologize. Apologize, or this will be the last bit of flour we'll take from you. There are other millers out there."
"I beg your pardon, Princess Eva."
"Stay down until we have passed. You are where you belong."
JOLLY ROGER - PRESENT
The New York group was sailing on Hook's ship towards Storybrooke. Henry, Grace and Neal were steering the ship, while Emma and Nevaeh tended to Mr. Gold below deck.
"You don't look comfortable," Emma said.
"The poison racing towards my heart will have that effect," Mr. Gold answered.
"Tell me about this, uh, knife of yours. Cora and Regina... If they do have it, they can make you do anything?"
"Indeed."
"Like... Kill us all?"
"Yeah. You're hoping I bleed to death now, aren't you?"
"You're Henry's grandfather. We're family now. I'm going to save you."
"Oh, I feel so reassured."
STORYBROOKE
David was talking to Mary Margaret on his cell phone. "Hey. I just talked to Emma. It's a bad wound. She says it's poison. They can only cure it back here in Storybrooke. They're taking a ship home."
"Well, let them know that they have the knife, okay? Who knows what that wicked woman would do?" Mary Margaret said.
REGINA'S OFFICE
Cora and Regina were listening in to the phone conversation. Hearing enough, Cora knocked the speaker off of the desk, cutting off the connection.
"Mother," Regina said, getting up to retrieve the speaker.
Cora frowned. "I don't like what that enchanted box was saying. I'm not... I'm not wicked."
"It's not an enchanted box. It's a phone tap."
"I don't care. What matters is, they've been warned. Rumpelstiltskin's smart. And now, he has time to think."
"But he's injured."
Cora looked at the dagger and noticed that Rumpelstiltskin's name is slowly disappearing from the blade. "More than injured, I'd say. He's dying. And when his name disappears, all of that power of his will just... Boil off into the air and... Then there will be no new Dark One."
"Okay. So we have to use him to get Henry back before he dies."
"Not in his condition. I don't want to kill him faster. No, there are no other options. I have to stab him with this knife, and take his power as my own. I have to become the Dark One. And with his power, there's nothing I won't be able to do."
"But Henry is never going to forgive that. And the whole point of this is... Wait. What is the point of all this?"
"To protect our family."
"Or you gaining your power."
"Whatever power I gain is for us – to protect you, to protect Henry. If we lose this battle, we'll spend the rest of our short lives on our knees in front of them. And that, my love? Is something I'll never do."
FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
King Xavier was throwing a masquerade ball at the castle. Several masked couples were dancing when Cora arrived donning a red dress. She grabbed a stray mask and put it on, then joined the people standing off to the side.
"Has the King really brought all these wealthy women here to vie to purchase his son?" Cora asked. "Poor Prince Henry."
"You're very frank," Henry I commented.
"Well, I... Oh, my. You're him. You're the Prince. I am very, very... I'm... I'm a goose, aren't I?"
"I don't know, let's find out. Can a goose waltz?" Henry I and Cora joined the others on the dance floor.
"But I wouldn't want to stand in the way of someone purchasing you."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I just came for the free food. Exquisite mutton, by the way."
"Thank you."
King Xavier interrupted their dance. "Excuse me, my boy. May I cut in?"
"Of course, Father."
King Xavier took Henry I's spot and resumed dancing with Cora who said, "Your Majesty. I didn't expect this honor."
"Tis no honor," King Xavier told her. "Did you think a stolen gown and pilfered mask would keep me from recognizing you? There's straw on your dress. You carry the mill with you, miller's daughter."
"You've got some nerve, disparaging me. You're selling off your own flesh and blood."
"You're an insolent girl. The kingdom has been strained by righteous wars, and we need our gold, yes. We are still miles above your kind. So now go. There's nothing you can offer us other than errant strands of straw." He picked a strand of straw off of her dress.
"That is nothing but delusion."
"What could you possibly have to offer us?"
"I can turn... straw into gold, and solve all your woes."
"Really?"
"But, as you've insulted me, you shall not reap the benefits. Good luck whoring your son." Cora began to walk away, but King Xavier grabbed her arm and made an announcement to the crowd.
"My loyal subjects! We have a very special personage with us. This woman tells me that she can spin straw into gold." The crowd laughed. "And she's going to demonstrate it for us! Fetch a spinning wheel!"
"It takes... time, to gather my thoughts."
"Oh. I tell you what, my dear. Spend the night here, locked in a tower full of straw. Spin it into gold tomorrow, and you can marry the Prince. Fail, and you die."
DOCKS
David, Mary Margaret, Jefferson and Ruby arrived to meet Emma and company. Neal and Ruby helped Mr. Gold off the ship.
"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, we're all right," Emma replied.
David took over Ruby's position, and he and Neal headed towards the truck with Mr. Gold.
"Uh, Grace and I drove a ship," Henry said.
"Did you now?" David and Jefferson questioned.
Grace nodded. "Henry's dad showed him and I showed how."
"That's... me," Neal said.
They set Mr. Gold on the back of the truck.
"Thank you, thank you," Mr. Gold told them.
"Is Cora trying to control you with the dagger?" David asked.
"Oh, you'd know if she was, 'cause most of you would be dead by now."
"Well, then we'll just have to take the fight to her before that can happen," Mary Margaret reasoned.
"We will," David answered.
"And this time, we finish it."
"Mary Margaret..."
"David. She needs to be stopped. She needs to be killed. This is our family. We are going to protect it."
"Of course we will, but what you're talking about goes beyond that."
"Does it? Because she is the reason you've never met my mother."
"I know. I know what happened to Queen Eva, and I have zero problem with Cora dying for it. But not by your hand, and not out of vengeance."
"Why?"
"Because you wouldn't be able to live with yourself. You have the purest heart of anyone I have ever known. That's who you are, and that's who you're going to stay."
Emma turned to Mr. Gold. "You okay?"
"Ah, I'm beginning to feel a bit stronger. Take me back to my shop. There's magic there that can protect us," Mr. Gold said.
Henry glanced at Emma. "Let me guess. I get to go with Ruby."
"You got it, kid," Emma confirmed.
"I'll keep him out of the crossfire," Ruby reassured.
"Thank you," Mary Margaret said.
Henry smiled as he said, "Don't look so worried. You'll stop Cora. You won't let her get away."
Jefferson hugged Nevaeh and said, "I've missed you, darling."
"I missed you too," she replied. "Next time ask Grace where she's going."
"I did. She refused to give a direct answer."
Nevaeh sighed, glancing at their daughter. "She's turning into quite the adventurer." She turned back to her husband. "Where are the twins?"
"They're with Scarlet. What do you say you and Grace tell me all about your adventures?"
"I'd love to. But first I need to make sure Mr. Gold will be all right. Take Grace back home. I'll be there soon."
Jefferson nodded and kissed her once again before walking away with Grace.
FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
Cora was locked in one of the towers in the castle with a spinning wheel and bunches of straw. She looked out the window to the ground and moat below her.
Rumpelstiltskin appeared and said, "That's never going to work. I mean, you'll escape, but you'll be dead. Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"
"Who are you?" Cora asked.
"Who are you?"
"Cora."
"Not a very pretty name, is it? Sounds like something breaking."
"How did you get in here? If you got in, I can get out."
"If I understand your situation, this is your way out." He gestured to the spinning wheel and sat. He began feeding straw into the wheel. "And what a marvelous coincidence, that spinning straw into gold just so happens to be something that I like to do. Yeah, it's... It's almost like... Like... Like... Like fate."
"No one can spin straw into anything, and no one can make..."
Suddenly, Rumpelstiltskin magically transformed the straw into a strand of gold. "Oh, well, well. Would you look at that?"
Cora grabbed the gold strand to check for herself. "You want to help me?"
"No, I want you to help me. And you will, because the future? Is my gift. Well, in a manner of speaking."
"What could you possibly get from me?"
"Funny you should ask. Can you read?" He magically produced a contract. He handed it to Cora, who then proceeded to read it.
"My firstborn child?"
"She is quite important."
"She?"
"Yes, I see the future. Weren't you listening? Anyway, I only get my payment if you live past tomorrow."
"You can turn all this straw into gold by morning?"
"And you can parade in front of the royals, and demand the hand of the dimly lit Prince. And have them kneel before you. That's what you want, eh? You want them to kneel-"
"No."
"I... No... What?"
"Teach me. Don't just do it. Teach me. Make it part of our deal."
"You are a spicy one, aren't you? Oh, well. Rumpelstiltskin."
"What?"
"My name. Do believe you just earned it." He waved his hand, causing the contract to briefly glow. He took out a quill and handed it to Cora. "Now... Let's begin."
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT - MR. GOLD'S PAWN SHOP
They set Mr. Gold in the back part of the shop to rest. Emma entered with an empty glass container.
"Emma, did you find it?" Mr. Gold asked.
"Yeah. There's nothing in it," Emma replied, shaking the container, creating a clinking sound. "What the hell?" She stuck her hand inside the container and took out something invisible.
"Invisible chalk. Use it in the front doorway. Draw a line. The rest of you, you might want to prepare for battle."
Everyone went to leave, but Mr. Gold stopped Mary Margaret. "Oh. Oh, wait, wait. Please. Can you... Get me a warmer blanket? In that cabinet."
Mary Margaret went to the cabinet and opened the door. Inside, she found the 'candle of death' that was previously given to her by the Blue Fairy. She slowly took it out and held it in front of Mr. Gold.
"Why do you have this?" Mary Margaret questioned.
"For a rainy day," Mr. Gold answered.
At the front of the shop, Emma drew a line with the invisible chalk in front of the door. Neal watched her.
"Missed a spot," Neal said.
"You're hilarious," Emma retorted.
"I didn't know you were magical."
"Oh, my. Are you getting judgey about this? 'Cause you're not allowed to have opinions about surprises, Mr. Son-of-Rumpelstiltskin."
"Oh..."
"What 'oh'?"
"I didn't mean for Tamara to be a surprise."
"You think I care that a guy I dated a decade ago is engaged?"
David entered and informed, "We're all clear outside. Everything okay?"
Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold were still conversing in the back of the shop.
"You're not getting any better, are you?" Mary Margaret asked.
"The candle can save me. There's nothing else," Mr. Gold replied.
"I wouldn't use this to save my own mother. What makes you think I would use it for you?"
"Because you're all grown up now. And for once, our interests are aligned."
"She dies instead of you."
"I know you can do this. I know you want to do this."
"There's no coming back from murder."
"And there's no coming back from death, either. And that's what will happen to your loved ones."
"Even if I were to do this... The candle only works if you whisper the victim's name over them."
"The heart will do."
"Cora's heart – it's not in her body."
"Use the candle, curse the heart. And then... Here comes the tricky part."
"That's not the tricky part?"
"You have to put the heart back inside Cora's body. She will die, and I will live."
"There's another way. I get Cora's heart, I control her and make her do the right thing, and I let you die. Takes care of two evils at once."
"I'm just imagining poor Henry's face when he finds out that you killed his grandpa. And imagine the hatred on Jackie's. A pirate's wrath is far from pleasant."
Emma entered and said, "I drew the invisible line. I... think. What now? You cast a protection spell?"
"No, no. You're going to do that for me. I'm relying on you."
"I can't cast a spell. I can spell 'spell'."
"You can. It's in you."
"How? Here? Like, from my brain?"
"Just try."
Emma closed her eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened.
"Stop thinking!" Mr. Gold yelled. "Conjuring magic is not intellectual endeavor. It's emotion. You must ask yourself, 'why am I doing this? Who am I protecting?' Feel it."
Again, Emma closed her eyes. This time, a wave of magic passed over the entire shop.
"Oh, yeah. You feel it?" Mr. Gold questioned.
"Yeah... I think I did," Emma replied.
"Good girl. Very good girl."
Nevaeh smiled and said, "Well done, Emma. It'll get easier as time goes on."
FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
In the tower, Cora was attempting to spin straw into gold without much success. Rumpelstiltskin watched her.
"Ugh! It's not happening," Cora said.
"You just need to stop thinking about it," Rumpelstiltskin told her. "Magic is about emotion. Summon up that moment that made you so angry, you would've killed if you could."
"You do that?"
"I do."
"What's your moment?"
"Once, a man made me kiss his boots in front of my son. Now, in my mind, I go back and I rip out his throat, and I crunch his veins with my teeth. And that, dearie, is how magic is made."
"Bloodlust."
"I like the phrase. Let me help you." He put his hands on Cora's shoulders and sat behind her at the spinning wheel. Cora resumed her attempt at spinning straw into gold.
Cora spoke in an almost trance-like state. "They made me kneel. I didn't do anything wrong, but they made me apologize – to a child. I realized, no matter how good I was, or how hard I worked... I was never going to be more than I am now."
"What do you want to do to them?"
"I want to make them bow. I want their kneecaps... to crack and freeze on the stones. I want their necks to break from bending."
"Look."
Cora snapped out of it as the spinning wheel jammed. She saw that the piece of straw had turned into gold. "I did it. I'm going to live."
"You're going to do much more than that, dearie. Don't stop... Until they are on their knees. Cora: Let's keep going."
They continued spinning.
---
In front of a crowd at the castle, Cora successfully spun straw into gold for King Xavier. Rumpelstiltskin watched from the audience as she brought a strand of gold to the King for appraisal.
"Here," Cora said. "Here's your gold."
"This... Did you really do it?" King Xavier asked.
"You saw it with your own eyes."
"You're just a miller's daughter."
"I am so much more."
"You've earned him."
Henry I got on his knee to propose to Cora and said, "Cora... If you will do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage."
"Yes," Cora replied and he kissed her hand. Cora made eye contact with Rumpelstiltskin as he did so.
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT - MR. GOLD'S SHOP
David and Mary Margaret were keeping a lookout for Cora and Regina. David noticed that Mary Margaret looked disturbed.
"What's wrong? Did Gold tell you something?" David asked.
"No. I mean, he just said that Cora's determined to hurt us," Mary Margaret told him.
"I won't let that happen. We'll do whatever needs to be done."
"You're right. You're absolutely right."
A tremor surged through the building.
David entered the back of the shop to warn the others. "It's them. Regina and Cora – they're here."
Outside, Regina and Cora conjured a magical fireball together. They threw it against the door, which easily broke Emma and Nevaeh's protection spell. When they entered the shop, they found Emma, Neal, Nevaeh and David armed with swords.
"Regina. Think about what you're doing," Emma said.
"Don't talk to me," Regina retorted.
While everyone was distracted, Mary Margaret snuck out the side door. Regina created a magical fireball and hurled it at the group, but David deflected it with his sword. Annoyed, Regina magically threw David out the front door and locked him out.
"David!" Emma and Nevaeh cried.
Cora magically blasted Emma backwards and Neal lunged at Cora in retaliation. Cora disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, but dropped the dagger on the floor in the process. Regina attempted to magically strangle Emma, but was momentarily distracted when Cora reappeared. Grabbing a knife from the counter, Emma got the upper hand and held the dagger to Regina's throat. With the dagger still on the floor, Neal, Nevaeh and Cora faced off.
"What's it going to be?" Neal asked.
"Mother!" Regina called.
"Choose wisely," Nevaeh and Neal suggested.
Cora summoned the dagger to her hand. Emma threw Regina into Cora, and the two of them fell into the glass counter.
"Fall back to Gold!" Emma ordered. "I have the chalk."
Emma, Nevaeh and Neal fled to the back of the shop. Emma drew a line in front of the door with the chalk, creating a protective barrier.
"Help me take out Rumpelstiltskin, and then we'll go back-" Cora suddenly stopped talking, in minor pain and disoriented.
"Mother, what is it?" Regina wondered.
"My... My heart. It's with my things in your vault. Someone's there."
"Mother?"
"Go. Go!"
Regina left. Cora stood in front of the barrier and got to work at attempting to break it.
"Really, Rumple. Hiding's beneath you," Cora said.
FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
At the castle, Cora was trying on her wedding dress.
Rumpelstiltskin appeared behind her and said, "Enjoying the view as much as I am?" They kissed.
"How dare you," Cora stated. "I'm a married woman."
"Not yet. Wedding's tomorrow." They kissed again.
"Hm. Well, then it's all right."
"Love the dress."
"Royal brides have to be snow white."
"When you see the future, there is irony everywhere."
"You know, I thought I wanted this. White and bright, all the admiration. But then I look at it. Fifth in line to be Queen. That won't happen without an awful lot of bloodshed. And what you give me..."
"I can give you nothing but darkness and isolation."
"And love."
"Yeah. And love."
"I want that."
"What if I, uh... What if I, uh... Amended, our contract? Instead of you owing me some random firstborn child, you owe me my child?"
"I can make that deal."
"As can I."
"Rumple, can we really do this? Can we really have this?"
"If you truly wish it."
"There is one..."
"What?"
"It's the King. He humiliated me. He made me feel the way you've shown me I never have to feel. I want to kill him. I want to show him his heart before I do it. So he can see it and know what I'm doing as I crush it."
"And that is why I love you."
Cora put her hand on Rumpelstiltskin's chest. She could feel his heart beat beneath her fingers. "Show me."
"I will show you everything."
"Then I'll do it tonight."
"Let's seal that promise." Once again, they kissed.
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT
Mary Margaret had broken into Regina's mausoleum. Inside, she navigated the chambers until she came to one with several chests and cabinets.
---
Outside Mr. Gold's shop, David came to. He called Emma, who was still in the back room, on his cell phone.
"David?" Emma said.
"Are you safe?" David asked.
"For now. I've got the spell up in the back room."
"Is Mary Margaret okay?"
---
Mary Margaret rummaged through the boxes in the chamber.
---
"She's not with you?" Emma questioned.
"No," David replied. "Where the hell is she?"
Nevaeh frowned. "I didn't see her leave. Where could she have gone?"
---
Still searching, Mary Margaret opened one of the cabinets and found the inside filled with small boxes containing hearts. The box where Cora's heart laid is glowing and a heartbeat could be heard. She removed the box and opened the lid. When she saw the beating heart, Mary Margaret quickly slammed the lid shut and closed her eyes. Making a decision, she reopened the box, and lit both ends of the 'candle of death'. She held the candle over Cora's heart and whispered the name.
"Cora... Cora..." whispered Mary Margaret.
The name echoed throughout the chamber. Mary Margaret blew out the ends of the candle.
FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
Cora entered one of the castle's towers and found King Xavier winding the strands of gold onto spools.
"They told me I'd find you counting your treasure," Cora said.
"Well, you've made us a rich kingdom again," King Xavier told her. "How can I help you?"
"I don't love your son."
"I didn't expect you to. Not much there to love, frankly. But this is not about love. It's about alliances." He stood and approached Cora. He took her hands in his. "Love is weakness. It isn't for hard women like you. That should make your choice easier."
"What choice?"
"Run off with the evil imp you don't think anyone knows about, in the name of love, or stand next to my son with a crown on your head and citizens at your feet."
"If the choice is love or power, then even having a heart is a liability." She placed her hand on his chest and over his heart. "Don't you think?"
Elsewhere in the castle, Cora was heading back to her room with a box containing a heart.
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT - MR. GOLD'S SHOP
Cora was still attempting to break the protective barrier with magic. Emma, Neal and Mr. Gold were still stuck in the back room.
"It's getting weaker. She's going to get through," Neal warned.
"Maybe it's for the best. At least this cursed power will pass from this world," Mr. Gold said.
"No. No, you're not dying."
"I am dying. That much is certain. I need to talk to Belle. Emma, please."
"Who's Belle?"
Emma dialed a number and handed her cell phone to Mr. Gold. "Your dad's girlfriend."
Belle, who was still in the hospital, answered the phone. "Mr. Gold, I... I told you before, I... I-I don't remember you."
"I-I... I know. I know. It's just... Sweetheart, I... I'm dying," Mr. Gold told her.
"Oh. I'm, uh... I'm... I'm so sorry."
"I know that you're... confused about who you are. So, I'm going to tell you. You are a hero, who helped your people. You're a beautiful woman, who loved an ugly man. Really, really loved me. You find goodness in others. And when it's not there, you create it. You make me want to go back. Back, to the best version of me. And that never happened before. So, when you look in the mirror and you don't know who you are, that's who you are. Thank you... Belle..." He hung up the phone.
Neal cleared his throat and broke the awkward silence. "Didn't know you had that in you."
"Oh, I'm full of love. I've spent a lifetime looking for you. For a chance to say I love you. And I'm sorry."
"I didn't think you would go back on our deal."
"I just made the wrong choice. May I?" He extended his hand to Neal.
"I'm still angry."
"I know..."
Neal took his hand and the two of them had a moment.
---
On her way out of the mausoleum, heart box in hand, Mary Margaret ran into Regina.
"You have no right to be here. And you have no right to that!" Regina said angrily.
"I was going to give it to you," Mary Margaret replied.
"What?"
"She can't love you, you know. She doesn't have her heart. With it, maybe she can. That's why you've never felt she loved you. She doesn't have her heart. But I do."
"You're doing this for me?"
"Think about it. What would happen if Cora had her heart back? Back inside her?"
"She told me she took it out to protect herself."
"And did it work? The person she was before... Do you think that person survived? She can't love, so she can't love you."
"She always wanted the best for me. That's love."
"Imagine real love. You'd have a mother, and a start on making a family Henry could be a part of. Or, you could have her be the Dark One. The choice is yours." Mary Margaret held out the box containing Cora's heart.
FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
Rumpelstiltskin was waiting by a tree in the middle of the forest. Cora arrived with the heart she was holding earlier.
Rumpelstiltskin said, "I was starting to grow concerned."
"Well, here I am," Cora replied and they kissed.
"Something's not right."
"Yes. You're correct."
"Well, what happened? Couldn't you take the King's heart?"
"No, I was able to do it. I chose not to."
"Ah."
"I'm sorry, my dear Rumple. I'm not going with you. You see, I have a wedding to go to – my own."
"Whose heart is in the box?"
"Don't make this harder."
"You lied to me. Whose heart?"
"Mine. I had to. You told me not to let anything stop me until they're on their knees. My heart was stopping me."
"You never loved me. Never. You're not getting away with this. We had a contract. I'll take your baby!"
"You changed the contract, Rumple. You only get your own child. And any baby I have... It won't be yours."
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT - MR. GOLD'S SHOP
Still unsuccessful at breaking through the barrier, Cora looked at the dagger. Rumpelstiltskin's name had almost completely disappeared.
---
Mary Margaret was sitting on the steps of Regina's mausoleum with her head in her hands.
David found her and asked, "Mary Margaret! Are you okay?! Are you... What did you do?"
"You were right," Mary Margaret said. "This isn't me."
---
Finally, Cora broke through the barrier and entered the back of the shop. Emma and Neal were armed and prepared to fight.
"You two – out of the way," Cora ordered, magically teleporting Neal and Emma out of the room. They appeared on a random path in the middle of the woods. Cora and Mr. Gold were left alone.
"A vision told me about you," Mr. Gold said. "Told me this day would come. But it didn't tell me everything. Didn't tell me what I really wanted to know."
Cora sat next to Mr. Gold on the bed. "And what's that?"
"Did you ever love me?"
Cora stroked the side of his face. "Why do you think I had to rip my own heart out? You were my weakness. You are the only man I ever truly loved."
Cora stood and raised the dagger above Mr. Gold. Before she had a chance to stab him, Regina appeared and shoved Cora's heart back into her chest. The dagger fell to the ground and Mr. Gold seemed to instantly recover. Cora staggered backwards and looked up to see Regina. Cora's demeanor completely changed and she smiled. Hopeful, Regina smiled back.
"Mother..." Regina called.
FAIRY TALE LAND - PAST
Cora, King Xavier and Henry I stood before a crowd of people at the castle. Cora was holding a newborn in her arms.
"Princess Cora, please," King Xavier said. "Tell me, daughter, what's her name?"
"Her name is Regina, for one day, she will be Queen," Cora replied as she held up baby Regina and the crowd before her knelt.
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT - MR. GOLD'S SHOP
Cora continued with her strange behavior and began to laugh. Confused, Mr. Gold checked the wound on his chest and discovered that it had completely healed over. Cora paused and looked down, where she found a hole had developed in her chest. Regina caught her as she collapsed to the ground and she held Cora in her arms. Mr. Gold retrieved his dagger from the floor.
"Mother? Mother? What's wrong?" Regina asked.
"This... Would've been enough. You... You would've been enough," Cora told her, shutting her eyes one last time.
"Mother? What's going on? Mother? Don't leave me, please... What am I going to do?"
"Your mother did you no favors," Mr. Gold said.
"Shut up! You stole her life! You or Nevaeh cast some spell."
"I did nothing."
Nevaeh shook her head. "Nor did I."
A frantic Mary Margaret rushed into the room with David trailing behind her. Nevaeh stared with wide eyes, looking between Cora's body and Mary Margaret with wide eyes.
"Regina! Stop!" Mary Margaret yelled.
Regina turned to her with an icy gaze. "You did this."