Chapter 30: Queen of Hearts
Cora Mills frowned as she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked tired. She was tired. This was not how she had planned to spend her evening. Waiting.
Waiting for news that her plan was successful. However, when you're trying to hide out from the town of Storybrooke it was a little hard to actually receive news.
The pirate was of little help either. He still hadn't caused a big enough rift between Emma and Regina and she had to result to alternative means, which meant she had her grandson currently on her premises and Cora was trying to figure out how she was going to use the Henry card to her fullest advantage.
But she still was waiting to here back about the boy.
She hoped he was dead.
Did that make her a horrible person? She knew that she was supposed to like children, but honestly she could care less about them.
Probably a part of having your heart ripped out of your own body, though she did care for Regina. She wanted what was best for her.
Which was to be queen and not to have some stable boy ruin the whole thing.
Really, Cora didn't get why that was such a huge ordeal to Regina. He was just a stable boy.
As for her other daughter, Zelena, Cora sighed. She felt bad about that whole ordeal. She often wondered what happened to her little girl. It was as if a piece was missing from her. And she hated that feeling.
She felt that way the other day for some weird reason, she couldn't exactly pinpoint why.
"You look delicious, love."
Cora rolled her eyes. "You and I both know you prefer blondes."
Hook shook his head. "No, no, I don't. I love you Cora."
"We don't love." She said.
Hook sighed he knew that was true. "You do look good though, Cora. Enough to shag."
"A queen never shags." She said. "She merely has indiscretions. And I am not in mood for an indiscretion right now."
"Suit yourself," Hook said. "The boy's still asleep."
Cora rolled her eyes. "There's still planning to do. I have to make sure everything went according to plan with French."
"It went swimmingly." Hook said playing with her hair.
"Stop that." Cora said.
He dropped her hair. Thank God, she still had that idiot's heart. "God, is all you think about is sex?"
He shrugged.
She shook her head. "I thought you'd have more going on in that head of yours, Hook. Like revenge on the Dark One. He's out of town. Powerless, here's your chance."
"You want me to go out of town?"
"It's just a suggestion." Cora said.
"But I thought you needed me as backup?"
"Poor silly Hook," Cora said.
"I'm not poor and silly. I'm dashing and a rouge."
Yeah, Cora could think of some better adjectives for that. Sighing she said, "Hook, go out of town. I need a distraction."
"From what?"
"I need to keep Rumple out of town." She growled. "If I'm going to kill his girlfriend."
"I thought you wanted Regina to be your b.f.f. not kill the Crocodile's new wench. Hey, I can kill Belle for you it would be like perfect revenge?"
Cora smiled. "Would you do that for me, Hook?"
"It would be my pleasure." Hook said.
It actually wasn't a bad idea. Especially if she could make it seem like she tried to prevent Hook from killing Gold's girlfriend. Which was why she let him leave after a quick roll in the sheets.
Now, all she had to do was to figure out how to get Regina's attention. And figure out how she was going to play the Henry situation.
She had taken the first step last night. Cora smiled as she thought about the boy's heart. Exquisite. She had never seen something so exquisite before. The heart of a true believer. It was almost sad that she was going to have to crush it in the end. Maybe she'd make potion ingredients out of instead or sale it. Such a rarity should be exploited to its fullest potential.
However, that would cause much more effort to be used in killing the boy.
She was going to have to kill him, eventually. Henry was too much of a liability.
It would upset Regina though. But she'd make it look like a complete accident, something that they could bond over. There was no way she could let the boy survive, not with the chance that he could spill her secrets.
Should the off chance come where Cora couldn't control him, she didn't want any loose ends to be there. And the emotional impact of Henry's death, yes that would be nice.
A shoulder to cry on.
"Grandma?"
Cora inwardly shuddered when she heard that term. She was not old enough to be a grandma. Or she didn't look it. It was true she no longer looked like one of those teenbopper witches who's name started with a P on that 90's show that Hook watched on TV, but she still did not resemble a grandma. "Darling, how are you?" She asked.
"I don't remember much." He said.
Of course he didn't. She had Hook give him a strong sleeping potion once he got to the house. Hook said he had to force it down his throat. But the pirate had managed. Cora didn't want to know how.
All she knew was that for once he had done his job, and that idiot Moe French was getting rid of Belle's child.
The child probably had no idea who he was by now. Even if Rumple did find him, he'd never be able to give Belle her son back.
Cora smirked. And Belle would be gone and he'd be crying back into her arms. Maybe if the boy was still there, she'd let him live. It might be fun to play mommy again, then again maybe not.
Yeah, Harry would have to go too.
Killing children was such hard work. She had an easier time with Regina's stable boy.
Thinking about that boy made Cora cringed, she never understood what exactly why Regina had been attracted to a peasant. Didn't she have some sort of pedigree? Cora had to give so much for her, that her daughter wouldn't even begin to realize what she had done.
And she always, always, had to bring it back to that stable boy.
Honestly, Cora didn't know why Regina didn't let it go. She didn't believe in that true love nonsense. Romance, at its best, was a good roll in the hay. And Cora had her fair share of them—rolls in the hay. And no one added up to Rumple.
Well, maybe Leopold would if that bitch Ava wouldn't have ruined things.
Henry should be her grandchild. Through blood not adoption. Maybe she would've let him live then. Smiling at the boy she said, "You don't remember?"
He shook his head. "I remember Hook. Taking a wrong turn. And after that everything is blank."
Cora nodded her head sadly. "I was afraid of that. Henry, I don't know what Hook was up too. But he came here last night drunk, ranting and rating how he was going to get his revenge on the Dark One. I think he mistaken you for Belle's son?"
"You mean Harry? But we look nothing alike?"
They didn't. But it was a good story. Cora looked at him, "Similar names. Seriously, Henry and Harry. A person could get confused."
"They are different. There's an a and r and Harry and a…"
"Enough." Cora said. "I need to call your mother, she must be worried sick."
"You haven't called her yet?"
"I fought a pirate all night, I'm magically exhausted."
She was exhausted. But not magically exhausted. All she'd have to do if she wanted to defeat Hook was to squeeze that little heart of his into nothing. But instead, she had sex with him and sent him out of town. That was much more exhausting.
Henry looked at her. "So, can I call her now? I bet we can eat breakfast together, you'd like that, right?"
Breakfast would be tolerable. She'd love it if it was just her and Regina. She was sure that Regina would be obsessed over Henry and that would not do.
However, it was a step in the right direction and with a little nudging on her part—nothing too obvious with her daughter there. Henry would keep his mouth shut. She was just glad she had researched heart magic further. Rumple had been a good teacher, but he really did not focus on that branch of magic as much as he should.
Alas, when Henry called Regina she was outside of Storybrooke. Almost in Augusta because Harry was in the hospital.
The brat was still alive. Cora could feel her blood boiling. Moe French was suppose to take care of that kid. Rumple wasn't supposed to get to him in time.
Was it too early to drink in these parts?
She tried to act shocked and horrified as Henry explained an abbreviated version of what happened.
"I didn't even get a chance to tell her what happened last night. She was so upset about Harry."
"I really don't get your mother's fascination with that boy."
Henry shrugged. "I think she raised him a lot when she had Belle locked up. Harry wouldn't say much about his upbringing when I talked to him, but it seemed like he lived a fairly sheltered life. But Emma did mention they played a lot of Checkers together and that he views her as a unofficial sister."
"You don't say?" Cora said.
She felt Henry's heart. She could see that he cared deeply about the boy. Dare she say, have a little crush. Oh, yes, she was going to exploit that. She had a feeling that some of his family members, like his maternal grandmother would flip out about that.
Personally, Cora couldn't give a rat's ass about those sorts of things. Then again, she lived in Wonderland and anything goes in Wonderland.
Until she became queen.
The Enchanted Forest though, there was a rigidness about that society that Cora just hated. So black and white about everything. If Henry lived in their world, he'd be eaten up alive. Especially given the fact he was a prince.
Henry looked at her. "Yeah, I actually feel sorry for him. He seems like a real nice guy though. I wish he wouldn't have ran off from my other grandparents' house."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he found about everything as I said before." Henry said rolling his eyes. "You really don't listen, do you?"
Cora waved her hand as if she was cooling her tea and Henry blanched with pain. She smiled as she thought about the extension spell she put on his heart earlier—while it couldn't control his actions like the spell she used on Moe French it could certainly cause pain. "Ugh, my chest hurts."
"Does it?" Cora asked. "I hope you're not coming down with anything? Did your mother say when she was coming back into town?"
Henry shook his head. "No. No. She just told me to stay safe with the Charmings. That there's a situation she has to take care of."
"I'm assuming it involves Harry?"
Henry shrugged. He really didn't know anything. Regina waved her hand over him in annoyance. And he griped over in pain again.
"Are you sure Hook didn't do anything to me, Grandma?"
"Your perfect, Henry." Cora said. "Now, why don't you go home?"
"What do I tell the Charmings?" He asked. "Should I tell them to be on the look out for Hook?"
"Hook is not going to be a problem." Cora said pursing her lips.
Henry raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
"He kidnapped you!" Cora said, "I did what I had to do."
Henry blanched. "You didn't kill him, did you?"
Well, she was going to kill him. But she hadn't yet. "I just incapacitated him, Henry. He'll be fine. He was drunk out his mind, he regrets what he did"
He raised an eyebrow.
"He won't be bothering you again and I did nothing illegal."
Yet.
Henry sighed heavily.
Cora tried to act like a concerned grandma. "Darling, I'm sorry you have trust issues with me. I am really trying to do better."
"I know that, Grandma." He said. "I just. It's hard you know. My Mom did some terrible things. And seeing that sort of evil."
"I know, son. I know. Regina has hurt me too."
Henry sighed. "I forget that."
Cora patted his head. "You really should talk about your feelings more, Henry."
"You think?" He asked.
"Oh yes," Cora smirked. "You'll feel a lot better."
"You think?" Henry asked again.
"Oh, I know." Cora said. "You should tell your Grandma and Grandpa Charming about how you feel about Harry?"
Henry looked at her shocked, "What? Is it really that obvious."
Cora smirked. It was if you held his heart. "I think it's cute, Henry."
"I…I think he likes girls. It's hard. I know he's not going to like me. No one is ever going to like me."
Well, Cora didn't that was for sure.
Sighing, she did the good grandma thing. "Oh, I think more people will like you if you tell them the truth. Being true to yourself is the best thing to do."
It was probably the best advice Cora ever gave, too bad it was also going to cause major havoc in poor Henry's life. Havoc Cora so desperately wanted.