Cora's Scrapbook, Chapter One: The Christening

After the defeat of Zelena and the birth of the Charmings' second child, Cora attends the christening celebration at Granny's.

Author's Note: This is the fifth and final installment of my Cora Chronicles. If you're not familiar with the premise, in the Cora Chronicles, our favorite Queen of Hearts didn't die in "The Miller's Daughter" and is participating in events taking place in Once Upon A Time canon.

"Cora is Company," the first installment, goes from "In the Name of the Brother" to "The Queen is Dead," and gives a possible look at what the living situation between Cora and Regina could have been.

"Cora is Still Company," the second installment, goes from "The Miller's Daughter" to "And Straight On Till Morning," and it shows Cora adjusting to life with a heart, learning to coexist with Emma Swan, dealing with her feelings for Rumplestiltskin, repenting from her wicked ways, and performing heroic actions in defense of Regina and Henry.

"Cora's Storybrooke," the third installment, goes from "The Heart of the Truest Believer" to "Going Home." In that story, Regina leaves Cora to act as Mayor of Storybrooke while she is in Neverland. She wins the respect of the people, including Belle and Mother Superior (with whom she initially shared a strong, mutual dislike). Peter Pan returns to Storybrooke with the heroes, and Cora and Mother Superior attempt to stop him. This story ended with Emma and Henry going to New York and the Enchanted Forest natives returning home.

"Cora's Family Reunion," the fourth installment, dealt with the short period wherein Cora returns home with the other Enchanted Forest natives. She encounters her first daughter, Zelena, travels with the Blue Fairy, and strikes up an unexpected (but tasteful) flirtation with Geppetto.

Thank you for your continued support of this series, and I hope you'll follow along in this exciting new chapter for Cora!

Characters:

Cora Mills

Regina Mills

Mother Superior

Henry Mills

Kilian Jones

Mary Margaret Blanchard

David Nolan

Charming Baby (as yet unnamed)

Mr. Gold

Belle French

Marco

Archibald Hopper

Kathryn Nolan

"Mother, it isn't going to be that formal," Regina Mills chuckled to herself.

"Regina, it's a christening! Along with coronations and state funerals, there is nothing that could be more formal!"

Cora Mills had descended the staircase of 108 Mifflin Street in full Queen of Hearts garb. Regina was standing, arms crossed, in the foyer, wearing an understated black dress under a black leather jacket. "You're going to feel completely overdressed."

Cora scoffed. "Why does no one dress in this town? I question why I even brought my old wardrobe if everyone is going to expect me to dress as drab as everyone else."

"I thought you liked the pantsuits I bought you!"

"I do, dear, but one cannot live in pantsuits alone."

"It's Halloween in three weeks, Mother. You can wear whatever you want then. Henry already has a ninja costume ready to go."

Cora tilted her head in confusion. "What is a ninja?"

"It's not my costume," said Henry as he stepped out of his bedroom and onto the landing. "I told you, Mom, I'm not going to be a ninja, I'm going to be a Jedi. Nice dress, Grandma."

Cora flashed her eyes at Regina. "See! Henry thinks it's nice!"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Wear what you want, but when David makes the announcement in a flannel shirt and blue jeans, I don't want to hear anything about lack of decorum."

Cora thought back to Regina's christening, where she had worn a large tiara and a massively expensive gown (which had been wasteful, in hindsight, especially since she had only just bailed King Xavier's kingdom out). It had been a realization of her fondest wishes to have the people kneel down before her. She doubted there would be a single kneel at Granny's that night.

Her thoughts drifted, not for the first time that day, to Zelena. Despite her continued efforts to make amends with her firstborn, Zelena had attempted to carry on with her plan to alter the past by killing Eva so that Cora would marry Leopold and she would be born royal. Cora had no love for Eva, but having killed her once herself, she didn't think it necessary to condemn her to a second murder (sort of). With the exception of Zelena, the Mills family had made amends with the Charmings, ushering in a new age of cooperation and a united, extended royal family. Cora had not wanted to leave Zelena alone in her cell, but she thought back on her own incarceration after her attempt to seize control of the Dark One's powers. Her uneasiness proved well-founded when Zelena had used the last of her residual magic to disintegrate herself. She would always regret her failure to redeem her firstborn, but tonight needed to be about showing the town was united and moving towards the future.

"If there's one thing I'm not going to lose tonight, it's a chance to complain about the decorum of royal occasions," Cora said, her right hand rapidly summoning a cloud of purple smoke to surround her. Her new outfit consisted of a red pantsuit with a white blouse. She stubbornly kept her tiara atop her classic updo.

Regina glanced at her phone. "Mother, you can take Henry to Granny's. There's something that I have to do first."

Henry descended to stairs until his eyes were level with his grandmother's and they exchanged a look.

"Oh, really?" Henry asked.

"And what, pray tell, is the nature of this task?" Cora asked.

Regina could feel color rushing into her cheeks. "I have a meeting scheduled just before the party."

"So you're planning to steal a few moments with Robin Hood?" Henry laughed.

"Oh, nicely done, dear," Cora chirped at her grandson, offering her hand for a high-five.

"You two are the worst," Regina grumbled, walking into the living room.

"Ready?" Cora looked over at Henry.

"Let's go," he responded, and, making his way down the stairs after his grandmother, began the walk to Granny's Diner.

Kathryn Nolan looked around the diner, taking comfort in familiar faces and old friends. Jim was coaching cross country for Storybrooke High School, and had been unable to attend the ceremony, but she felt that she owed it to David, after all he had done for her, to be there for the christening of his child. Now, she sat on her barstool sipping a glass of wine.

Her online law classes had been keeping her on the periphery of Storybrooke society, but she often picked up snacks at the Dark Star Pharmacy, where Mr. Clark would fill her in on the latest exploits of the Charmings, Regina, and Emma Swan.

As for some of the new faces, she deduced that the woman sitting next to Mr. Gold had to be Belle, and she didn't have to deduce the identity of the one-handed pirate who was standing very close to Emma.

"It's so good to see you taking a break from your studies for the evening," said Mother Superior, greeting her with a hug.

"It's good to be taking a break!" Kathryn laughed. "What have you been up to?"

"I've mainly been enjoying the peace and quiet after Zelena's defeat," she replied, taking a seat on the adjacent stool. "For however long it lasts."

"It never does seem to last," Kathryn said grimly. "Is it true that Zelena turned out to be Regina's sister?"

Mother Superior chuckled. "After we found out that Henry is Rumplestiltskin's grandson, nothing surprises me anymore."

"Do you think that Regina and her mother are going to finish the job?"

A voice behind her laughed. "Believe me, if we were planning on it, it would have already happened." Kathryn spun around to see Cora standing behind Mother Superior.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, jumping out of her seat. "I was only speculating."

"Cora!" Mother Superior exclaimed, raising her ale mug in greeting. "I don't believe you've met Kathryn before."

"I haven't had the pleasure," Cora said, extending her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you," Kathryn said, taking her hand. "Again, I wasn't trying to judge you and Regina-"

"I'm sure I would in your position," Cora laughed, waving away the tension. "I hear from my daughter that you're studying to become a lawyer."

"I am. I've been taking classes online."

"It's amazing what the machines in this world can teach you," Cora said, shaking her head.

Belle heard this and made her way over to the group. "True, but nothing beats a good book."

"I don't know," Mother Superior said, "I think a nice diamond wedding ring might beat a good book."

"Cora!" Belle gasped. "You told her!"

"Relax, dear," Cora muttered. "I think it's a safe bet that the Blue Fairy and Rumple's ex-girlfriend know better than to crash his private wedding. I didn't even tell Regina."

Belle smiled, glancing back at Gold. "It will be a lovely ceremony in the woods. My father is the only guest, and Archie will officiate."

"I am glad that you and Rumple have found happiness together, Belle," Cora smiled.

"Too bad you won't be there to catch the bouquet," Belle inclined her head towards the jukebox, where Marco had just entered through the back door. Cora playfully kicked her, turning back towards Kathryn and Mother Superior and seeming very engaged in conversation.

Over by the jukebox, Marco was standing with Archie. He had just caught sight of Cora, looking as lovely as spring. He saw her quickly turn towards the ladies at the bar, and instantly became embarrassed for staring.

Archie put a hand on his friend's arm. "Marco, you're not going to move things along by playing hard to get. You and Cora hit it off just fine in the Enchanted Forest, and you've barely made an effort to speak to her since we came back to Storybrooke."

"At his age, he should be playing beat the clock," came the cheerfully sarcastic voice of Captain Hook from the doorway.

"Whatever game I'm playing, at least I have two hands to play it with," Marco shot back at the pirate.

"Gentlemen, please," Archie said, stepping between them. "Killian, you're good friends with Cora. Perhaps you can give Marco some advice about talking to her."

Hook placed his eponymous prosthetic to his chin in thought. "Cora has always played the long game. Take your time and come up with something big to impress her."

"Something big? Like what?"

"Something practical but lovely. You'll know when the idea strikes you." Hook gave a little salute and returned to Emma Swan's side.

As the party continued, everyone slowly rotated through to the table where Mary Margaret, David, and Henry were sitting with the baby. Emma and Hook had stepped out, presumably.

When Leroy stepped away, Cora's time for visitation had arrived.

"Your majesties!" Cora gave a small curtsy to the couple. "Congratulations again on the birth of your child. If only it had been a more peaceful occasion."

"No need for titles or honorifics here, Cora," David smiled, unsurprised at her formality.

"And it all turned out alright in the end, didn't it?" Mary Margaret said, reaching out and taking Cora's hand. "Thank you, Cora. If it hadn't been for your honesty and help, we might not have defeated Zelena."

Cora clasped Snow's hand harder. "I think the time for fighting between our families has come to an end. Believe me when I say that I will always be there to protect my new step-great-grandchild." She took a good, long look at the Charmings' outfits. Henry, being Henry, noticed this immediately.

"What do you think of Grandma Cora's outfit?" Henry asked cheekily. Cora flashed him a nigh imperceptible death glare.

"She looks as regal as one would expect," Charming said politely.

"She was originally going to wear one of her royal gowns from Wonderland, but Mom talked her out of it."

"Oh, Cora," Snow smiled sweetly. "You don't have to dress up for us. We're all family. It's just nice to have everyone together."

"Yes," Cora said, choosing her words carefully, "That is very touching, but you know dedicated I am to our old royal traditions."

"One of the best things about traditions is starting new ones," Charming stated.

"Of course," Cora smiled, looking at her grandson, who was holding back a laugh. "Again, congratulations, my dears." She stepped away from the group.

"It's only right that he would be named for your son," Cora said, sitting down next to her former master.

"I appreciate that," Gold replied with a small smile. "I'm sure Regina told you what happened in that barn."

"She used light magic to defeat Zelena," Cora said. "I'm pleased of course, though I didn't think it was possible to change one's magic to that degree."

"I didn't think so either," the Dark One nodded. "Remember when I first taught you magic?"

Cora blushed. "Hardly an appropriate topic for your wedding night."

Gold rolled his eyes. "I told you that magic was made by bloodlust. That approach has worked very well for both of us, as well as for your daughters. Since then, I've concluded that magic born of true love is far more powerful than magic born of negative emotions."

"Which is why I couldn't take Emma's heart."

"Precisely."

Cora frowned slightly and looked at the table. "Do you think it would be possible for Regina and I to completely change our ways?"

Rumple looked directly into her eyes. "It would be quite the undertaking, but you two have never been daunted by impossible tasks. If that is really what you want, I would say it's a goal within your reach. Just remember, dearie- Light or dark, all magic comes with a price."

"Regina!" Cora shouted as she materialized into the house.

"Leave me alone, Mother!" came a voice from upstairs.

Ignoring this, Cora hurried up the stairs into Regina's bedroom where she was kneeling on the floor and sobbing into her mattress. "Oh, my sweet daughter…" She knelt down and wrapped her arms around the heartbroken queen.

"I thought it was finally my turn to be happy!" Regina sobbed. "And then Emma had to ruin it! Just like her mother did all those years ago."

Cora froze a little bit. They rarely talked about Daniel. "That wasn't Snow's fault, and you know it."

Regina's crying softened a bit as she felt the tension in the room. "I thought I had finally found true love again, and now Robin's wife is back from the dead."

"You have true love, my dear. You have Henry. You have me. Different kinds of love, but no less true."

"You have no idea what it's like!" Regina snapped.

Cora raised her eyebrows. "The only man I ever truly loved is currently getting married in the woods as we speak."

This was news to Regina. "Rumple and Belle?"

"Yes. We can't destroy other people's happiness, Regina. We have moved beyond that stage. This is going to hurt, and it's going to be hard, but you have a family to get you through it. I am here for you."

"Thank you, Mother," Regina said, apologetic for snapping. "I didn't mean to make it seem like you and Henry weren't enough for me."

Cora smiled, a tear forming in her right eye. "I know that, my dear. Just remember, you, and now Henry, are enough for me."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Cora's Scrapbook! If you feel so led, follow, favorite, and review. Thanks for reading!