Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT.
A/N: The lovely cover art is from Once Upon A Time Fan Page on facebook. I'll try to give the link, but FanFiction is very particular about it so you'll have to add in the dashes and dots and close the spaces.
https
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com
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Silence reigned over the five watchers. The inky sky, made darker from the evil presence, pressed down upon them, snuffing out any chance of light or sound.
Nothing moved. Nothing blinked. Nothing breathed.
It was all they could do to keep from crumpling to the ground in surrender to the horror they had just witnessed. Snow was supported by her husband, just as Regina had Robin's arm wrapped firmly around her, but Killian had nothing save the still air for comfort. He took a step closer to the dagger that lay in the middle of the road, his eyes brimming with unshed tears and his heart aching to discover what would be written on the blade of the cursed relic.
His slow inching movements changed the energy in half a second. Where there was silence was now a torrent of uncontrollable sobs issuing from Snow. The burden of losing their daughter a second time brought her and David to their knees where they clung together, each hoping to find an anchorage in the presence of the other, but both knowing it was fruitless.
Snow's wailing cries echoed down the street, uncaring of the late hour or who might hear. Not even Regina had the heart to come up with a witty remark to shut her up. Her hands still clutching Robin's arm, she watched as Killian warily bent down and enclosed the hilt of the dagger in a trembling fist. She opened her mouth, but the words were stuck in her throat; a lump had formed and with great difficulty did she push it down.
"I-is," she cleared her throat, "her name. Is it her name?"
Killian brought his shining eyes to hers and she could see that they were already red and swollen. With the barest of movements he motioned the dreaded answer with his head and Regina clamped her mouth shut and swallowed hard. Robin pulled his arms around her more and rested his brow on her shoulder; trying to bring her, as well as himself, comfort. Emma Swan may have been a part of his acquaintance for only a short time, but in that period she had displayed every trait that he respected and valued and he knew her loss was something great indeed.
Killian was staring at the dagger, a bomb about to burst. His whole body shook in uncontrollable pain and anger. Nothing could distract his eyes from looking away from the name that had given him such unexpected pleasure: Emma Swan. Ironic, he thought, that he should spend his 300 years of life in hot pursuit of the Dark One, losing most of his sanity along the way, seeking revenge and a long and painful death for the crocodile only to come to the beginning again in the strangest of ways, and not having an inkling of where to find his love.
'And she loves me.' He thought. 'She said the words. She loves me.'
"Where is she?" He whispered loud enough for only the inner thoughts, raging in his mind, to hear.
"Where is she?!" He shouted to the night hysterically. His yell produced no answer, only deepened Snow's crying. But he wasn't done yet. Clapping eyes on Regina once more, he determinedly strode to her, the dagger held tightly in his only fist.
"Where is she? Where's Emma?" The vein in his neck was pulsing and he looked almost mad.
"I don't know." She told him earnestly. Robin raised his head and instinctively backed Regina away from the unhinged, hook-bearing pirate. But Killian only mirrored the movement.
"But you know…" he waved the dagger in the air, searching for words, and gestured to the spot that Emma had just vanished. "…this. You've studied with the Dark One."
"Yes," Regina acknowledged, "but I -"
"You're the only one who's still conscience or not consumed by the darkness who knows magic."
"Yes," Regina had to agree again. "But, Hook, I don't pretend to be knowledgeable -"
"We have to find her." He interrupted again, intent with every syllable. "We have to get her back." With entreating eyes, he silently implored the woman with the only likelihood of gaining any leads to promise him that they would find his love.
Regina kept her gaze steady with his. She knew the difficulties that lay ahead; the woman who turned out to be one of the best alliances she ever made, who was the second mother to her son, and whom Regina viewed truly as a friend, was consumed by pure evil. She had willingly took the fate to spare Regina the pain and anguish which inevitably would follow from being the focal point of evil on earth. She knew in her heart, even before Hook came at her, that she would do all in her power to get the saviour back home. To Henry and all those who cared and loved her.
Stepping outside of Robin's firm embrace, she placed herself in front of Hook and held her hand out. He looked at the extended limb for a moment, not understanding what she wanted from him, but then it clicked. Taking a step back, he tightened his grip on the dagger.
"Hook I'm going to need that if we're going to have any chance of finding Emma."
David and Snow had calmed down enough to regain their feet and make their way over to the trio. When they saw Hook's hesitation, David clapped a hand on the pirate's shoulder in understanding.
"Emma's not in the dagger, Hook. As you said, Regina's are best chance of finding her."
Killian looked from face to face and saw the same sadness that he felt bubbling up inside him. Coming back to Regina and her outstretched hand he cautiously gave her the dagger and felt an emptiness wash over him.
Before slipping it into her coat, Regina looked at the name inscribed on the blade and shook her head in disbelief.
"She should never have done that." She spat.
Snow and David jerked their heads toward her in astonishment. "She just saved you, Regina."
The queen looked at Snow with a line creasing her brow. "I'm aware of that. Don't forget I was the one just being circled by the demon."
"Then how can you sound so ungrateful?" Snow accused.
Regina didn't answer right away; she hid the dagger in her coat and took Robin's hand in her own. Flipping a stray hair out of her face, she said, "because I'm the one who has the job of telling Henry."
The sombre party of five made their way to Granny's where they knew Henry would still be waiting for them with the book. The streets were eerily quiet save for Snow's occasional outbursts. She kept re-living the moment Emma absorbed the darkness within her and couldn't get her daughter's eyes out of her mind. There had been something so heart wrenching in seeing the resigned look in the face of the blonde, as if she had expected her fate to turn out so completely and utterly grim. Snow had to keep a hand over her mouth the whole time so as to contain her grief.
When Granny's neon light came into view, the five stopped outside the door from some silent signal. Regina, closest to the door, went to turn the handle when Snow stopped her.
"How are we going to tell him?" She worried, pressing her lips together. Regina turned back to look at her in some confusion.
"We?" She questioned.
"You don't expect us to wait out here while you tell him." David put in, earning a nod from Killian.
"He's right. The lad should hear it from all of us."
Regina swiveled her head from each set of eyes looking at her and raised a brow. "What? All five of us?"
Snow nodded vigorously, keeping her eyes half closed as if she wasn't yet ready to face the world.
"We don't want to overwhelm him with a parade of mourners." Regina cut a little too sharply. Biting her tongue, she added in a slightly softer tone, "I'll tell him alone and then -"
"Regina, please." Snow opened her eyes wide enough to look at the woman in front of her, beseeching her to let her talk with her grandson. "We all have a strong connection to Henry and I think it would be better if he has all of us there with him if he needs to ask questions of how Em-" her chin shook and she had to stop for a moment to regain control. "Of how this happened."
Regina still didn't look convinced and was about to express that when Robin squeezed her hand. Seeing that he had her attention he quietly said, "She has a point. Perhaps if Henry has all of us with him he won't feel so alone at the loss of his mother." Here Regina opened her mouth, but he didn't let her get a word in. "I know you're his mother as well, but the loss of any parent, even if you have two of the same one, is a lonely prospect for any child. It might be a well thing for him to see that he is not in this alone - that we're all here for him."
Though she wanted to do it on her terms and explain to Henry how Emma had sacrificed herself not just for her, but the whole town, she listened to Robin's words and felt a warmth for him rise in her chest. She knew the upcoming task would not be easy or pretty, but knowing that Robin, and even Hook, had an affection for her son made the daunting future a little more plausible.
"You're right." She said at last, her voice a little thick. Snow gave her a grateful look and went to walk in right after her as the group entered Granny's diner. The place was still abuzz with talk and laughter since none yet knew of the tragedy that had befallen their town. Ruby was listening to Leroy describe the horrors of the queen's court in the alternate universe as she served Aurora and Phillip. Archie was sharing a table with Marco, indulging in a glass one-too-many, but looking pleased nonetheless. Lilly was no longer at her place at the counter, having disappeared when Belle came running in about Rumple. And Henry - sweet, blessed, untroubled Henry was still at the booth scanning through the book that started it all. He looked up when he heard the little bell ring over the door and smiled when he saw who the new arrivals were. It quickly faded, though when he saw the grim expressions worn by all.
"What is it?" He asked, dropping his grin. "Is it Mr. Gold?" Slowly closing the book, he watched as his mom and grandmother slid into the booth across the table and felt his seat dip as his grandfather sat next to him. Hook and Robin remained standing a little ways back, giving room for Henry's direct family to be around him.
Looking from adult to adult, he asked again. "Has Mr. Gold really - "
"Henry...it's not Rumple." Regina started, reaching out her arm and grasping her son's hand. He furrowed his brows slightly, wondering what else could have them all looking so grief-stricken. It was then that he caught sight of Hook's dead eyes and the absence of his other mom. Snapping his eyes back to Regina, he opened his mouth.
"Wait, where's my mom?" There was a warning in his voice, as if he was already putting two and two together but wanted to stay ignorant of it for as long as possible. He saw the answer written all over Mary-Margaret's face as she tried to contain her tears once more and a warm hand pressed down on his shoulder, anchoring him to David's side. Looking to his mother he saw the same troubled expression.
"Mom..." his voice hitched. "Where is she?"
Wetting her lips, Regina tried to buy half a second to consider the best way of telling Henry, but Mary-Margaret beat her to it. Much to her annoyance.
"Henry, Emma has acted as a true hero and saved us all," Snow cried, always the one unable to be subtle when relating news. She tried giving him an encouraging smile but failed miserably. "She sacrificed herself to protect all of us."
Henry shook his head, looking dubious to what Mary-Margaret was implying. "I don't understand." He croaked.
"Thanks for that," Regina bitterly cut in.
Softening her tone, she squeezed Henry's hand and went to explain further. "Mary-Margaret's right, Henry. Emma sacrificed herself for the whole town...and saved me personally from being consumed by the Darkness." She hesitated a moment and then continued. "If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here right now."
"But where is she?" He questioned shaking his head again, feeling that if he did it enough it would suddenly become clear what was happening. "She's not - dead, is she?" He choked the words out. The adults stayed silent, not sure that being dead was worse than being the Dark One.
"Is she?" He called louder, gaining the attention of a few around them. David pressed on his shoulder and Regina brought her other hand to his. The others merely stood around him, showing that they were there.
"Henry," Regina said quietly, "Emma has taken the place as the Dark One."
There was a beat and then unasked for tears began filling the young boy's eyes. "No," he said firmly, "No, Mr. Gold - h-he's the Dark One."
"Not anymore." Regina simply said.
"The Darkness had left him Henry," David tried explaining, but not getting all the facts straight as he was still confused on how the Sorcerer's Apprentice was able to extricate it from the dying man. "It was set loose on the town and would've razed everything to the ground had it not been for Emma."
Henry listened, but his confusion was still evident; asking him to grasp this new concept was like asking him to breath under water. At last Killian, seeing the perplexity writ over the lads face, offered that he be shown the dagger as there was no proof more telling than that. Regina hesitated, but knew that it would help him come to terms with the new reality. Revealing it from the inside of her coat, she gently handed it to Henry and watched his tears spill over. No one disturbed him as he examined his mother's magically engraved name on the dagger. Even the diner became hushed - once the dagger had been exposed all eyes had been drawn to the six at the table. The dark aura around the ancient relic was a powerful one and knew how to make its presence known. A few of the dwarves sidled their way up to the booth and peered over Henry's shoulder. It was Leroy in the front and as soon as he saw the familiar name he made to open his mouth and exhaust his lungs, but a quick glare from Regina silenced him and he waited impatiently for the story to come out.
At last Henry looked up and barely noticed that he had the attention of the entire diner; he met the gaze of the five adults in front of him, his eyes clear and bright.
"We'll find her. We always find each other." He said evenly. "We're family - all of us -" he raised his voice so all those listening knew that they were included in the statement. "And we will never stop until we are all together."