Cora can be on the AU, bc is not really real thing since is an AU, but Bae cant be( like example as Rumbelle son, or even that rumple had 1st wife that died when the baby was born, and belle takes care of him) bc he is dead and the writer doesnt change the past and cant bring back the dead?
Cora is still needed for Regina to be alive so the Author would naturally write her in.
Bae isn’t needed for Rumple’s literal existence (his metaphorical one, yes but that’s another matter) so the Author can easily forgo including him in his fanfic.
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"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"