STORYBROOKE - PRESENT
Inside her house, Regina was putting on her earrings in front of a mirror when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door to find nothing but a basket filled with green apples.
Suddenly, Zelena was standing in Regina's dining room and she said, "A gift. From sister to sister."
"What are you doing here?" Regina asked.
"I saw your tree and I thought you could use something better." She picked one of Regina's red apples from off the table. "Red apples are so sickly sweet, don't you think? People tend to like something... a little sharper."
"And green apples are just... bitter." Zelena picked up one of Regina's decorations. "That's not yours."
"Story of my life."
"Why are you here?"
"Oh, sisterly concerns, sisterly advice, you know. I wanted to make sure you were all right after our little showdown." She walked over to Regina's living room.
"I'm fine. Are you?"
"Getting there." She examined the room and took a seat on Regina's sofa. "This is nice. So luxurious. You really don't appreciate what you have, do you?"
"Right. Because I got everything and you have nothing. If you want your superpower to be envy, go right ahead."
""Envy" is just another word for "ambition"."
"Well, that's just," she sighed, "not true."
"You see, I strive for things. I work. You—" she scoffed, "—you cast a curse that was just a fancy form of running away. With every advantage, you still turn your back on every opportunity for happiness. You, Regina— you just don't take risks, you don't live your life! It's such a waste!" She stood and began admiring the mantle. "I can see why our mother was so disappointed in you."
"Disappointed in me? She gave you away."
"You have no idea what really happened. That's exactly what's going to hurt you."
Regina laughed. "You didn't come here to give me "sisterly advice". Why are you really here?"
"So perceptive. I'm here, Regina, because I wanted to make sure you weren't someplace else so I can take what I need. Or rather, the Dark One could. Do you feel it, sis? He's taking your heart." Regina picked up a knife and threw it at Zelena; only for Zelena to disappear in a green smoke.
MERRY MEN'S CAMP - WOODS - NEAR THE EDGE OF TOWN
Mr. Gold was standing in front of Robin Hood and the Merry Men, all with their weapons ready.
"Stop right there," Robin Hood ordered. "You know this arrow never misses its mark."
"If I could stand down, I would," Mr. Gold said. "Heed me. Give me the heart." Roland enters, carrying firewood, catching the Dark One's attention. "And who is this?"
"Roland! Go back!"
"Come here, little boy."
"Don't! Please!"
"I don't want to. I really don't. Come closer, little boy." Mr. Gold magically forced the child forward.
"Daddy!" Roland called.
"And stop." Mr. Gold used magic to push the boy into the ground.
"Daddy! Help!"
"I didn't want to do this either," Robin Hood said, shooting his arrow; only for Mr. Gold to magically catch it in mid-air. He magically turned the arrow in Roland's direction.
"It never misses its target," Mr. Gold remembered. "And I've just changed the target. If I drop my finger..."
"No!" The other Merry Men attempted to come forward, only for Mr. Gold to freeze them into place. "Wait! Wait." Robin Hood walked up to a tree and took out a small pouch containing Regina's heart.
"Thank you. And I am sorry." He sent the arrow flying until it was inches from Roland before it dropped. Mr. Gold disappeared. Robin Hood approached Roland, and father and son embraced.
"It's okay," Robin Hood reassured. "It's okay, boy. You're safe." Regina entered. "Go to Friar Tuck." Roland obeyed and Regina approached Robin Hood.
"What happened?" Regina asked.
"I'm sorry. It's gone."
"Was anyone hurt?" Robin Hood glanced in the direction of his son, playing with Friar Tuck, then turned back to respond to Regina.
"Luckily, no. Again, I must apologize. You trusted me, and I let you down."
"No, you didn't. Nothing's worth the loss of a child. But now we have a problem. I'm alive."
"I don't follow."
"She has my heart. Gold's taken it for her, and since she hasn't crushed it and killed me, that means she needs it for something far worse."
"Worse than murder? What is she planning?"
"It doesn't matter. Because I'm going to stop her."
MR. GOLD'S SHOP
Regina was rummaging through the items, looking for something to help her with the situation. "This is all useless crap!" Belle heard the clattering and entered.
"Hey!" Belle cried. "Hey, hey! Stop! Stop it! What—what are you looking for?"
"I need to destroy my sister. She has my heart." Belle's expression became nervous. "Oh, relax. She can't control me with it. I protected it from that. The problem is, I don't know what she's planning on using it for, which is why I need to take her out!" She came to a realization. "That's why I need your help. What do you have here?"
Belle angrily repeated, ""What do I have here"? Self-respect. Why on Earth or any realm would I help you? The woman who imprisoned me in a tower in her castle, then put me in an asylum for twenty-eight years, who's done nothing but mentally and physically torture me ever since we've known each other!"
"Huh. Bookworm's got teeth."
"Get out."
Regina sighed. "Yes. I did all those horrible things... in the past. But right now, I need something to defeat the woman who's puppet-mastering your boyfriend. She has your Rumple, and unless you help me, you may never see him again. I'm sorry, Belle. I really, really am."
Belle sighed and her anger quelled. "So, I've been trying to match the ingredients that Zelena's been collecting to whatever spell she intends to cast. It would really help if I knew what it so special about your heart. Does she just want it because you're sisters, or..."
"I have no idea." She came to another realization. "The candle. Where's the candle?"
Belle picked up a candelabra. "Here?"
"Not that that, Liberace. The two-sided candle Snow used to kill my mother. Where's that?"
Belle opened a cabinet, revealing the Enchanted Candle. "Its power's gone now. It's just a relic."
Regina took the candle. "Yes. That's it. This isn't about how my mother died. This is about how she lived."
ENCHANTED FOREST - PAST - TAVERN
A young Cora worked as a bar maid. A man handed her a tray containing multiple mugs of beer.
"Here you go, Cora," the man said.
"Cora!" the bar patron called. "There she is!" She handed the man his beer, then gracefully attempted to work her way past several drunk men to the next patron.
"Here you go," Cora said as one of the drunken men reached for her waist. "Oh! Off with you!" She was grabbed by Charlie, yet another drunken patron.
"Give us a dance, lassie!" Charlie told her.
"Oh, let go, Charlie." She worked herself away from him and bumped into a table where another patron, Jonathan, was seated. "Oh, I'm so sorry."
"Sit down, Cora," Jonathan offered. "You've already worked past the end of your shift. I daresay you've earned it."
"Thank you." She sat across from him.
"You know, I've watched you this whole week that I've been here. You work in a tavern, but you move like a lady."
"I'm just a miller's daughter. I earn a little extra here. Someone once told me to act like what you plan to be, so I try to be a little better than what I am."
"Oh, I wish I could stay. But tomorrow, I must press on. I've already stayed longer than I planned."
"Have you? Why?"
"I think you know why." He dropped a small cloth adorned with the crest of the royal family in front of Cora. "Oh, that's—I didn't want you to..."
"The royal crest."
"I wanted you to know me as me, not as "Prince Jonathan"."
Cora mused to herself, "Prince Jonathan."
"With all the noblewomen, I end up feeling like the last kernel of corn in the hen house. But you, you pit me in my place when I'm wrong..."
"And you are wrong pretty often." They both laughed.
"This isn't how it's supposed to go, but... I hoped to only ask this question once in my life, but I'm going to ask it twice. Once now with this..." he bent down and picked up a piece of straw and tied it into a makeshift ring, "ring made of straw, but I will come back in two weeks and turn this ring into gold. Well, I'll bring you a gold one. And I'll whisk you away to the castle Princess Cora." He places the "ring" on her finger. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes. Yes!"
Jonathan kissed her hand. "You've made me so happy. Oh, but these next two weeks are going to be torture. Meet me at the crossroads so we don't waste any time."
"I'll be there. When do you have to leave?"
"Very early tomorrow, I'm afraid."
"The tavern closes soon."
"Well, then..."
"But, seeing as how we're essentially married, perhaps I can keep your company in your room." Standing up, Jonathan took Cora's hand and both of them left the room.
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT DAY - MILLS HOUSE
Emma and Jackie entered the living room. Thoughtful, Hook and Matthew looked at a green apple in the former's hand.
"I'd watch out for the apples in this house," Emma warned.
"Aye," Hook and Matthew replied.
"It was a joke. Where's your sense of humor?"
"It left, when the witch arrived."
Jackie smirked lightly. "Well, we're gonna take care of that. Regina said she has a plan."
"I'm sure she does." Hook, Jackie, Matthew and Emma sat at the table. David and Mary Margaret were already sitting there.
"Emma, will you please tell your mother that we're not gonna name your brother "Leopold"?" David said.
"Uh, why not?" Mary Margaret asked. "It was my father's name."
"People will make fun of him."
"My father was a king."
"Which is why, nobody made fun of him."
"Okay, what about "Eva" after my mother?"
"I don't know, how that'll work with a boy."
"It might not be a boy." Carrying a tray, Regina entered the room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Regina said. "I was making this special tea." She served each of her guests and herself a cup. David intended to taste the tea. "No, don't drink it! It's a deadly poison summoning the Dark Vortex."
"I prefer Earl Grey," David stated.
Emma said to Regina, "The dark what?"
"Zelena came by this morning," Regina informed. "While the Dark One was stealing my heart, she was here gloating. She said that my weakness was that I don't know enough of her past. So, I have decided to summon someone who does. We have to talk to my mother."
ZELENA'S FARMHOUSE
Carefully, Zelena took Regina's heart out of a satchel. A flying monkey screeched.
"Yes," Zelena said. "I know, it looks battered, but that's the point." She placed the heart inside a wooden box. Then she stored the box inside a suitcase. All the while, the flying monkey watched her closely. Zelena walked over to a wardrobe, opened it and took out a black coat. "This will do perfectly." The monkey made angry noises. "Oh, don't be jealous."
ZELENA'S FARMHOUSE - THE STORM CELLAR
Mr. Gold suspiciously eyeed the black coat Zelena had handed him and asked, "What do you want me to do with this?"
"What do you think?" Regina replied. "Wear it. I've got Regina's heart, Charming's courage and right in here, ready to be plucked, your lovely brains." Mr. Gold jerked back his head as she tried to touch his temple. "We've got everything we need. It's a good time to celebrate, don't you think?"
Mr. Gold, sullen, said, "You don't have everything."
"The baby will come. Now, let's get you dressed."
Mr. Gold continued in his sullen tone. "I'm not your doll."
"Aren't you? I'm not using the dagger, but I could. A certain baby could be here at any minute, so I'm going to give you a choice on how you want to live out the rest of this time. One choice is, screaming agony. The other is much more pleasant. Choose well, doll." Zelena turned around and left the storm cellar.
MILLS HOUSE
"It's a fairly simple ritual, but not often performed," Regina said.
"If it's easy to talk to the dead, why don't do it more?" Emma asked.
"Well, because to do it, you need the murder weapon and the murderer." Mary Margaret winced. Regina lit the Enchanted Candle.
"What do we need to do?" Jackie wondered.
"Focus on Cora," Regina instructed as she took Emma by the hand.
"Welcoming thoughts?" Hook and Matthew questioned.
"Whatever you've got."
"Is it...?" Emma began, but Regina bid her to be quiet. After a moment, a portal opened above them.
"We did it," Mary Margaret said.
"Cora?" Regina called. "Mother, can you hear us? Cora, give us a sign." The open portal swirled, but no one emerged from it. "Do not ignore me now, mother. Please, you owe me this." The table rocked slightly. Startled, Mary Margaret let go off David's hand. The portal closed.
"Sorry, love," Hook apologized. "That was me. I crossed my legs and bumped the table." Regina sighed and blew out the the Enchanted Candle.
"Do we try it again?" Mary Margaret asked.
"No, there's no point," Regina replied. "It worked. The portal opened, but nothing came from it. She doesn't wanna talk to me. Guess, whatever secrets lie in her past, she wants to keep buried there."
ENCHANTED FOREST - PAST
TWO MONTHS LATER
Cora walked down the road as it rained.
GARDEN
Jonathan was standing inside a pavilion waiting.
Cora approached him and called, "Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan, it's me. What happened? It's been two months. My friends said it was a trick, but I said 'no, it must be an accident or a misunderstanding that I'd find out at the castle.' And here you are."
Jonathan turned. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Cora noticed that he wore gumboots.
Cora, shocked, asked, "Are you the gardener?"
"Well, I'm not Prince Jonathan. Of course, there is no Prince Jonathan."
Cora grew angry. "You lied to me. You took my heart, my virtue. My good name."
Jonathan scoffed. "I took? You practically forced it into my hands, when you thought that I was a prince. A horlot is a harlot."
"I'm with child. I'm going to have a baby. There may be no Prince Jonathan, but there is a prince and how would he feel when I tell him what you've done? Give me enough to support this child. You stole before, do it again."
"Yeah, go ahead and tell him. Good luck finding me." Cora tried to stop Jonathan, but he fought her off.
"Guards! Guards! There's a scoundrel in the garden. Guards, help me." Jonathan pushed her to the ground and dashed away.
"Are you all right?" Prince Leopold asked. "What happened to you? You were calling for help."
"He got away," Cora said. "Just a bandit on the road. He took everything I had."
"I'm so sorry to hear that." He reached out a hand to her. "Come with me. We'll do everything we can for you."
"There's nothing you can do for me."
"Allow me to try. I'm Prince Leopold." Taken aback, Cora looked up at him and rose to her feet
"Thank you, your Highness." She bowed.
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT - MILLS HOUSE
David walked out of the living room. Emma, Matthew, Jackie and Hook followed.
"Maybe Belle will have more luck," David said. "There has to be something that can help us."
"Right, my magic gets more powerful every day," Emma replied. "By the time, this all goes down, I'll be ready." Regina joined them.
"Make sure you are," Regina said with a sigh.
"Come on, let's go." David, Hook, Matthew, Jackie and Emma left the house.
"You know what? I'm gonna stay and talk to Regina. I'll help clean up," Mary Margaret offered.
"I'm not in the mood for a heart-to-heart," Regina said. Ready to leave the room, she turned around.
"I'm not sure that's physically possible right now."
Regina chuckled. "You can help with the tea cups." Both of them entered the kitchen. They were unaware that due to an unknown spell the front door vanished.
ENCHANTED FOREST - PAST
Cora and Prince Leopold were walking together in the woods.
"There it was: My oldest night dress," Cora said. "The boys tied it to the top of the windmill, flapping in the wind for the whole village to see." She chuckled. "And I'm the maddest eight-year-old you ever saw."
Prince Leopold chuckled. "Did you ever get revenge for that?"
"That's a long term plan. You see, there aren't that many young people in that village and, odds are, one of them will end up married to me. That should do it." Leopold chuckled.
"You're wonderful." Cora shivered lightly. "And cold."
"It's a bit frosty, but I'm okay."
"Uh, I'd build a fire for you, but I'm embarrassed to say, I don't know how."
Cora smiled. "I do." She unsheathed his dagger and took preparations to build a fire. Prince Leopold sat beside her.
"I'm going to be king."
"I gather that happens, when you're a prince."
"And I wanna do right by that gift. I keep telling myself I wanna be a man of the people, and then I realize I can't even build a fire. A task every peasant can do."
"Well, this peasant can fix that." She handed Leopold his dagger and began to puff. Then, she begged him closer showing him smoldering moss. "See, just have to let air get in." Both of them sat next to the fire.
"When the throne becomes mine, I'll need to provide an heir of my own."
"You'll have to marry."
"And start a family immediately."
"That actually sounds nice. Anyone in mind?"
Prince Leopold turned towards Cora. "Yes." He turned away from her. "Princess Eva from the northern kingdom. We've been engaged since her birth."
"Oh, is she nice?"
"I'll let you know after I meet her. That's tonight."
"You don't sound very excited. I'm sure she's... a lovely choice."
"I'm sure she is. She's just not a choice I made." He turned to face Cora again.
"What's the use of having power if you can't choose who to wed?"
STORYBROOKE - PRESENT - MILLS HOUSE - KITCHEN
Regina had her back turned to Mary Margaret, who was sitting on the table.
"I wanna apologize, Regina," Mary Margaret said. "For Cora. For..."
Regina interrupted her, "murdering her?"
"Right. Yeah. I don't take it lightly. I think about it every day."
"So do I." She turned to face Mary Margaret. "And when I do think about it, I remember that she did kill your mother." She shrugged. "So, I'll admit that it's complicated."
"Thank you. I'm sure you had some things you wanted to say to her."
Regina scoffed. "Yes. Well, I'm realizing that my mother walled off a lot of her life from me. She wasn't the warmest mother, but at least I thought I occupied a singular spot in her heart." She sighed. "A sister. Zelena. Why would she give her up? Why would she make us strangers to one another?"
Mary Margaret heard a sound and asked, "What's that?"
"I have no idea."
"It's upstairs."
UPSTAIRS
Upstairs, Regina and Mary Margaret carefully approached a door.
"It's in there," Regina said with a frown. "There isn't anything in this room. It's..." Before Regina could open the door, it shattered. Inside the room sat a young Cora spinning. "Mother?"
GRANNY'S DINER
Emma was sitting at the counter. She closed her eyes and a mug of cocoa popped in front of Matthew, who was at a booth, with a whoosh. Jackie and Hook sat at another booth, the former with a frown and the latter with an amused smirk.
"Boom!" Emma cried, hitting the countertop.. "Granny's to go. I should open a franchise."
"It's impressive," Matthew commented as she sat in front of him.
"You want to see something really impressive?" Emma asked and Matthew sighed. With a whoosh, Hook's hook disappeared from his hand. Emma chuckled and a clanking sounded.
"That's bad form, Swan. Tampering with a man's hook." He stood and walked over to get his hook.
Emma chuckled. "Okay, seriously, what is up with you and Matthew?" His hook clicked.
"I apologize for our rudeness, Matthew said as Hook walked back towards the booth. "It's a long story." He sat. "Too long for now." He took a drink from his flask.
"Okay. Obviously something's-"
The door opened and bells jingled.
Belle, panting, said, "Emma! Emma, I found it! We have to tell Regina and the others."
"Okay, Belle, slow down. What did you find?"
"Zelena's plan. I figured out what she's doing."
ZELENA'S FARMHOUSE
"You should have a woman dress you more often," Zelena told Mr. Gold, walking closer to him. "Please, do have a seat."
Mr. Gold walked towards the table as he said, "I wonder how much civility I'll be asked to endure before this evening's true purpose is revealed." He sat.
Zelena chucked. "Relax." She placed a napkin on Mr. Gold's lap. "You know I'm not one for subtlety." She stroked his shoulder as she passed.
"Oh, how lucky for me."
She began pouring a bottle of wine. "Play coy if you like. But we both know that it wasn't a dagger that brought you into my kitchen."
"Well, coercion takes many forms, my dear, but I can assure you, I'm not here for the boiled peas."
A timer dinged and as Zelena went to get it, she said, "No, you're here for my secret, aren't you? Hmm? Why a heart? Why courage? Why a brain? Why this particular baby?"
"And more to the point, why is it of any interest to me?"
"Because my secret will reunite you with your long-lost son."
"My son is not lost. He's dead. You watched him die."
"This isn't idle cruelty. I promise you, he's alive and waiting for you to find him."
"Find him where?"
"Not where. When. I'm going to change the past."
"No. Time travel spells have been written since the dawn of the dark arts but never cast. It's against the fundamental laws of magic."
Zelena chuckled, grabbed the bottle of wine and began pouring it. "Magic doesn't fail. People fail." She set down the bottle. "Laws only exist until they're broken by someone... superior."
"You?" She chuckled and Mr. Gold leaned closer. "You've deciphered the laws of time travel?"
She leaned closer. "When that baby's born, I am going back to claim the life that I deserved, and there's no reason that you can't come with me."
"To find my boy. Perhaps never give him up."
MILLS HOUSE - UPSTAIRS
"This can't be," Regina said. "The spell opened a limited portal for talking."
"It's me," Mary Margaret told her. "I killed Cora. She sensed my presence and found a way to bleed through into our world."
Cora's spirit saw Mary Margaret and lunged towards her.
"Watch out!" Regina yelled, stepping in front of Mary Margaret. "Back down, mother. You will answer my questions. Now, tell me... What did you do to Zelena?" Cora flung her to the side and Regina grunted.
Cora made her way towards Mary Margaret who gasped as she backed down the hall.
A whoosh sounded as Regina used magic to teleport them back into the séance room.
SÉANCE ROOM
Mary Margaret steadied herself as Cora appeared in the room.
"Oh!" Mary Margaret exclaimed as Regina blasted magic at Cora. "You're holding her off!"
"But I can't hold her forever," Regina warned.
ENCHANTED FOREST - PAST
Cora studied her ring; a gold band adorned with red jewels.
Jonathan grabbed her hand and said, "Well, low and behold, it turned to gold after all."
Cora yanked her hand away and retorted, "How dare you. You must have the brain the size of a pixie to show your face in this kingdom."
"Well, I had to see for myself if the commoner who said yes to Prince Leopold was the same one who said it to me... Several times... In one night. It was quite impressive."
"In two days, I will be a princess, and you will bow down and count yourself lucky to pull the weeds at my feet."
He chuckled. "Been practicing in front of the mirror, eh? You're as much of a fraud as I ever was."
"My love for Prince Leopold is true, as is his for me."
He sat next to her. "But does he know how much of you there is to love? Or were you hoping to keep our baby a secret?"
"What is it you want? - Gold? Jewels?"
"Mm, yes, whatever you can get. Enough for me to live happily for the rest of my days, just like you wanted from me. Bring it here tomorrow night and your secret shall remain just that."
"It will be done. Now leave before someone sees you." He got up and left.
Behind a pillar, Princess Eva was listening in.
"Princess Eva, your carriage awaits," a maid said. "Princess Eva?"
"I'm coming," Princess Eva whispered.
MILLS HOUSE - SÉANCE ROOM
"I don't know how much longer I can hold her off," Regina warned.
Mary Margaret gasped and said, "Cora, I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" She gasped as Cora tried to lunge at her.
"Save your breath. Your mother was nothing like my mother. She only understands power and weakness. But if she wants to kill you, she's gonna have to go through me! This isn't about you. This is about her... And me." She stopped the magic. "It's time for answers, mother. What did you do to Zelena?!"
Cora knocked Regina to the ground and went into Mary Margaret.
"No!" Mary Margaret cried as she fell into a chair. Flashes of Cora's past flooded Mary Margaret's mind.
ENCHANTED FOREST - PAST
Cora walked through the great hall and startled.
She gasped and said, "My love, you frightened me." She kissed him.
"What are you doing in the great hall at this hour?" Prince Leopold asked.
"Well, a wedding won't plan itself, and there's endless amounts of work to be done. Is something wrong?"
"Word has spread throughout the castle that... That you are with child."
Cora sighed. "My love, I am so sorry for the terrible trouble that this lie has brought upon you."
"Gossip means nothing to me. I've pledged to marry you, dear Cora, and I will keep that pledge as long as I know I can trust you."
Cora sighed again. "There is no baby. Only my love for you."
"You only love yourself," Princess Eva retorted.
"What is she doing here?"
"Princess Eva is here because she overheard your rendezvous in the garden yesterday."
"And just as I said, the Miller's daughter is a worthless liar," Princess Eva said.
"You awful child," Cora retorted. "Yes, I was in the garden yesterday. There was a man roaming the grounds. I feared he might steal something, so I made him leave. Whatever else Eva has told you is the invention of a jealous brat who would say anything to marry you."
"Check her pockets."
Prince Leopold sighed and checked her pockets to find what Cora had stolen.
"No," Cora whispered.
"There's nothing left to say," Prince Leopold said as he began walking away.
"You deserve better than her lies," Princess Eva told him, following after.
As Cora was pulled away by a guard, she called, "Leopold! Don't let me go!"
"Come, Eva," Prince Leopold instructed. "Help me break this terrible news to the king." The two resumed walking.
Princess Eva placed a hand on Prince Leopold's shoulder, turning him before saying, "Today your heart aches, your highness, but I promise a more worthy wife will give you the child that you deserve... One that will be pure. Pure as snow."
MILLS HOUSE - SÉANCE ROOM
"Mary Margaret!" Regina called. "Hold on. I won't let you go." She used magic to pull Cora from Mary Margaret's body and sent he back through the portal.
"What the hell was that?" Emma asked as the others rushed into the room.
"Cora."
"Is she okay?"
"Mary Margaret, can you hear me?" David wondered, kneeling next to her.
Mary Margaret said weakly, "Cora... Not what we thought. She's trying to communicate."
"She was?" Regina questioned. "What'd she say?"
"Leopold, my mother... My mother..."
"Shh," David told her. "Mary Margaret, relax." He stroked her hair.
"She's not making sense," Emma said. "We need to call a doctor."
"If she knows something that could help us-" Regina was cut off.
"Regina, it's gonna have to wait," David interrupted.
"It can't wait! If we stop Zelena, we have to know what the hell she's doing and why!"
"I can help with half of that," Belle offered.
"What?" She stood, facing Belle.
"She's planning on going back... Back in time."
"Are you certain?" Belle nodded. "No one's ever been able to cast a spell to go back in time."
"Well, clearly, she thinks she can succeed. I mean mean, brains, courage, a-a resilient heart... Those ingredients are in every time-travel spell I've found."
Regina sat in another chair as David said, "Why go back in time, I mean, we have no idea what she's trying to accomplish."
Mary Margaret lifted her head. "I do. She... she didn't..."
"Don't push yourself."
"She didn't want to give up Zelena. She was forced to by... mm." She shifted. "By my mother. Princess Eva... She told a secret... Just like I did."
Emma frowned. "Wait. I thought our family were the good guys."
Mary Margaret rested her head back and let out a sigh.
"Life is too messy for it to ever be that simple," Regina said.
"You're saying if it wasn't for Snow's mother, Cora would have kept Zelena," David determined.
Belle replied with a small nod, "She would have been tutored by Rumpelstiltskin."
"All if it weren't for this Princess Eva?" Hook questioned.
"So that means..." Emma began.
"Zelena's going back to kill my mother," Mary Margaret finished.
Regina came to a realization. "You'll have never been born."
"I'm guessing this is where your help ends," Emma said glancing back.
"Now, think it through, Miss Swan. That means you'll have never been born, and neither will Henry."
"And on this different path, Regina, you may not be, either," Mary Margaret told her.
"It's a good thing no one has ever succeeded with this time-travel nonsense," Hook stated.
"The baby," David realized as he stood.
"What?"
"That's what's missing. That's why none have succeeded. Somehow, some way, our baby is the key. Zelena went to a lot of effort to get close to our unborn child. That's what she's after."
"What is she going to do with...?" Mary Margaret trailed.
David knelt next to her, resting a hand on her bump. "It doesn't matter. She's not gonna get it. We're gonna stop her. Since our baby's not born, she's stuck, and we have what we need... Time."
"Just not very much of it."
ENCHANTED FOREST - PAST
Cora screamed and panted as she gave birth.
"One more," the nursemaid told her. "Big one." Cora grunted. "Push!" Cora groaned.
FOREST
Cora set down a basket with a baby in it before crouching next to her daughter and saying, "Poor babe." The baby cooed and Cora's voice broke. "Life is cruel and full of betrayal. That is my only lesson for you. Now I must give you away." The baby cooed again. "To give me... My best chance. As long as I have you, I can never be anything more than a Miller's daughter." The baby cried and wind whooshed as Cora walked away.
A green tornado formed and the baby's crying ceased.
ZELENA'S FARMHOUSE
"Thank you," Mr. Gold said as he cleared dishes.
"For what?" Zelena asked.
"For showing me something I should have seen long ago."
"It's never easy for a man to admit he's wrong... But I wronged you and hurt us both."
He poured another glass of wine as Zelena said, "Those mistakes can't haunt us... Not anymore. Soon, history will be wiped clean." They clinked glasses.
Mr. Gold chuckled. "Until then, a gentleman always makes amends for his failings." He stroked her cheek and kissed her neck.
Zelena exhaled sharply as Mr. Gold pulled her up. She breathed heavily and moaned. Mr. Gold turned green momentarily through magic and Zelena gasped before a whoosh sounded.
As she panted, she said, "Sorry, love. Afraid not!"
"Never on the first date, eh, dearie?" Mr. Gold asked.
"You just wanted the knife." She exhaled sharply as she pulled it out. "I hope you enjoyed the taste, because you just squandered your only chance to have your son!" She forced him back with a wave of the knife.
"My son gave his life so I could stop you, and I can see only one way to honor that sacrifice, and that's by killing you."
"Celebration's over. Back to your cage... Doll." She waved the knife and Mr. Gold left.
The door opened and Zelena breathed heavily.
MILLS HOUSE
Regina picked up a candlestick and set it on a shelf before letting out a sigh.
"Need a hand?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Shouldn't you be on bedrest?" Regina questioned.
"Dr. Whale just left. He cleared me and the baby. Apparently, the human body has a surprising tolerance for ghost possession." She entered the room. "And he told me I have a tough placenta, which somehow came out creepy." She picked up a broom. "May I?" Regina gave a single nod. She walked to the other end and began sweeping. "You want to talk about it?"
"What's there to talk about? You officially have a less damaging relationship with my mother than I do. And you killed her."
"Well, at least we know, you and me, our history... It's more complicated than we thought."
"I know how much you looked up to Eva. I'm sorry you had to learn she had such darkness in her past."
Mary Margaret set down the broom and made her way towards Regina. "That wasn't the woman I knew." She sat in a chair. "It makes me wonder what happened that changed her. I suppose I'll never know."
"Well, we can never know our past completely."
"If we had, I probably wouldn't have spent so much time trying to kill you."
"Well, we would've found something to fight about. I mean... I was such a brat."
"Your mother's child."
Mary Margaret chuckled lightly. "I think we've wasted our last day being haunted by the past."
"Now we can focus on being haunted by our impending lack of a future."
"Zelena isn't going to win... Not with all of us united against her."
"Hope isn't easy when I know she holds my heart."
"Which you'll get back, stronger than ever. That's what it means to be the most resilient."
"That could be another one of her tricks, too."
"Regina, I've seen what life has thrown at you. And you still fight against the darkness every single day. Sooner or later, your heart will find its way to happiness."
Regina whispered, "That doesn't feel possible."
Mary Margaret took Regina's hand. "But it is. I know you, and you feel things deeply. With or without it, you feel things with your whole soul. Don't let it hold you back."
Regina let out a sigh.
MERRY MEN'S CAMP - WOODS
Robin Hood stoked a fire. Footsteps approached.
Robin Hood stood as Regina walked up and he said, "My lady. I'm sorry. I let you down. Your heart was lost to Zelena on my watch, but I promise you, I will get it back."
Regina grabbed Robin Hood's jacket and kissed him. The two pulled away a moment before coming together to kiss again.