Rating: T

Pairing: None in particular; plenty of CaptainSwan, some OutlawQueen, a sprinkle of Snowing, a teaspoon of Rumbelle (later chapters), and a bit of SwanQueen friendship here and there.

Summary: Killian Jones is bleeding out right in front of her. Emma Swan must make a split-second decision. Does she ignore her better judgement and save the man she loves, or let him die to save everyone else.

Details: This is a canon divergence that occurs during the events shown in flashbacks in 5x08 ("Birth") where Emma turns Killian into a Dark One to save his life. However, this time, her family and Killian are able to convince her to not turn him into a Dark One and instead let him die. Things happen as they originally did—Emma getting the Promethean Flame from Nimue with the help of Merlin; Killian and her family trying to steal back Excalibur from Merlin, only to get kidnapped; Killian getting cut by Excalibur; Emma lighting the flame with the help of Killian; etc.—until Emma is about to put the sword back together in Granny's, and Killian's neck begins to bleed out.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in the story below. All rights belong to Once Upon a Time, ABC, and Disney.

CHAPTER ONE – Birth

GRANNY'S, CAMELOT - PRESENT TIME

EMMA'S POV

Emma stood in Granny's in Camelot, surrounded by Mary Margaret, David, Henry, Killian, Regina, Robin, Belle, Merlin, Granny, Leroy, and Doc. She stared at Excalibur and the Dark One's Dagger. It sounded as though they were whispering to each other, calling to one another. There was a whisper in her head telling her not to do this, that she would regret it, but she ignored it.

"Are you ready?" She was pulled from her thoughts by Merlin's question.

"Yes," she responded.

"Then it's time," he said with a slight smile, stepping towards the table to open up the box containing the Promethean Flame. "To destroy the darkness once and for all."

She looked up at Killian, who smiled and gave her a reassuring nod. She was so glad to have someone like Killian, someone who loved her unconditionally, just as she loved him. She smiled back, and concentrated hard. She used her hands to draw a flame from the amber and light it in the air, before picking up the two blades and holding them up to the light. Her concentration was interrupted by a thump. She turned her head to find Killian lying on the floor, clutching his neck.

"Killian?" Emma asked, full of concern. "No…"

He was bleeding from his neck, right where he'd been cut by Excalibur.

"When did that happen?" Regina asked.

"It was Excalibur," Emma replied worriedly. "I-It was just a small cut. I healed it."

"I'm afraid it only seemed that way," Merlin said as everyone turned to him, but Emma ignored them, trying to comprehend what was happening. "Excalibur was forged to cut immortal ties. A wound from it cannot be healed."

"What?" Mary Margaret said, clearly worried that her daughter would lose the man she loved. "There has to be something you can do, that SHE can do."

"Even Emma's power isn't strong enough, nor is my own."

"Killian," Emma said, still in shock. "You have to hold on. I can't lose you."

"It's alright," Killian managed to mutter, clearly in immense pain. "Emma, it's alright."

"Please, no… Don't leave me. You have to stay," Emma whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "You have to stay. Come on, Killian, what about our future together?"

"Our future is now," he replied, his life draining from him. "Reunite the blades so I can see them before I go."

She heard the voice in her head again. You can save him, dearie, Rumple's voice called to her. Use your anger. Use your power. An idea appeared in Emma's head.

"NO," she cried out.

"No?" Regina repeated, curiosity present in her voice.

"I'm not going to let him die when there's a way to save him," Emma said reassuringly.

"Emma… Merlin said it, there's nothing you can do."

"That's what he said, but it's not true, is it?" Emma turned to face Merlin. "You told me how powerful I am. Let's use that power. I-I can use the Promethean Flame to release you from Excalibur and then I can use it to tether Hook's life to it instead. It could save him."

Worry washed over Merlin's face. "Emma, you know what that could do?"

"Create another Dark One," Regina answered for her.

"It would multiply the darkness so that it cannot be destroyed," Merlin went on. "Not without you paying the steepest of prices. It will be your final step into the dark."

Emma turned back to look at Killian, who groaned in pain. He's going to die, the voice in her head told her. Are you really going to let that happen?

"I don't care what happens to me," she said, staring at Killian.

"Emma, wait," her father urged.

"Please, listen, you can't," her mother continued.

"Emma, your parents are right," Regina agreed.

Suddenly, Emma was overcome with rage. "If you could have saved Daniel, or Robin... Look at how far you were willing to go, how far you pushed me to save him," Emma yelled angrily. Regina didn't respond. "I'm not going to lose Killian. I won't let anyone stop me."

Emma waved her left hand, and she and Killian were in the Middlemist meadow. Emma stared at Killian.

"Emma," he groaned weakly.

"Killian," Emma said with a reassuring smile. She let out a small cry. "You're going to be okay."

"No, please," Killian whispered. "You have to let me go."

"What?" Emma asked curiously.

"I don't want to pay this price," he went on. "I don't want to become that."

"You won't," Emma said to him. "You can fight the darkness; I can help you. We can do it together.

"I'm not as strong as you are, or Merlin, I'm weak," he continued. "The things I-I've done… I've succumbed to darkness before in my life, and it took centuries to push it away. I don't know if I can do it again." Killian held her hand tightly.

"But our future—"

"Emma, please. You have your family, your friends. You don't need me, not like you need them," he said, his eyes closing slowly. "Besides... who knows what I'll do—who I'll hurt—if I can't resist it."

Emma's heart lurched in her chest as tears streamed down her face. He's going to die, Dark One, Rumple's voice uttered. Unless you save him... Use your power. Emma tried to ignore him.

"Killian, of course I need—"

"Please Emma," he interrupted. "You need to let me go. Please just tell me you won't do this, that you'll destroy the darkness, even if I won't be here to see it. I-I don't want you to give into your darkness for me. I want you to go on. You've got enough people left to live for. Just promise me one thing… Promise me you'll be happy, that you won't put that armor of yours back on."

"I…" Emma stopped. Her parents' voices ran through her mind. Everyone was telling her not to do this. Everyone except that voice in her head, the same voice that had almost convinced her to crush Merida's heart and told her to steal Violet's heart to break her own son's heart. She knew she couldn't do this. "I promise."

She looked deeply into Killian's eyes one last time as he smiled. He opened his mouth as if to say something, only for his smile to fade from his face and his breathing to stop.

Emma couldn't stop the tears that were pouring out of eyes. She looked over to Excalibur, which lay in the grass of the meadow. She was tempted by her inner darkness to use it, but remembered her promise to Killian. She hugged him tightly for a few moments before standing up. She looked up to see Rumple's spirit who was pouting at her.

"You could have saved him, dearie," Rumple said, sighing and turning his gaze to Killian's body. He looked back up and gasped as a smile that could scare even the darkest of Dark Ones spread across Emma's face. His confusion turned into a dark smile as he said, "Oh, I do like the look of this."

GRANNY'S, CAMELOT - MOMENTS AGO

HENRY'S POV

"… I'm not going to lose Killian. I won't let anyone stop me."

Henry wasn't able to form any words. He just gaped at the space where his mother crouched over Killian, the pirate who had developed a place in his heart, just moments before.

"How could she be so stupid?" Regina asked.

"Wh-where's she gone?" Belle asked after a long period of silence.

Everyone looked towards Merlin, whose face showed that he was expecting the worst.

"This is my mom we're talking about," Henry managed to say. "And I know her well enough to know that she definitely doesn't want to be found. Not now."

Everyone looked towards the floor, fearing the worst.

"Just who is he?" Merlin asked. "This… Killian Jones."

Mary Margaret looked up at him. "He used to be a pirate," she responded. "He was a villain when we first met, hell-bent on getting his revenge on the previous Dark One, Rumplestiltskin. But he changed – because of Emma, because he loves her."

"Does she love him just as much?" Merlin inquired.

"I think so, yes."

"Then I fear the worst."

Merlin let out a sigh and Regina looked at him with curiosity. "If you can see the future," she said. "Then surely you foresaw this."

He only glared at her, but didn't respond.

"You did, didn't you?" David asked, anger in his voice.

"There was nothing I could do," he replied. "I only received the glimpse during the battle I had with Emma in the woods, and like most of my glimpses of the future, this was quite a blur. I saw two outcomes. There's one where she resists using the blade and allows him to die. She then returns here, and completes Excalibur. On the other path, she uses the blade and turns him into a Dark One, and gives into her darkness."

"Well, I'm not going to just stand around and do nothing while I might be losing my daughter—my hope—to darkness," Mary Margaret said after a while, standing up from the crouching position she had been in.

"You're right," David agreed. "Let's go find—"

He was interrupted by a 'poof' sound.

"Relax. I'm right here," Emma said, staring at them all from the door of Granny's. They were all startled by her arrival. She didn't look any different. Henry noticed tears on her face. Everyone looked down to see Killian's lifeless body on the floor in front of her. She was holding Excalibur.

"Mom," Henry asked, tears stinging in his eyes. "What happened?"

Emma looked into his teary eyes with teary eyes of his own. "I couldn't do it," she said, and fell to her knees. "I couldn't save him."

Henry ran over and hugged his mother unbelievably tightly. He felt a tear of hers run down her cheek and into his hair. Mary Margaret and David also came over to hug her. His other mother gave Emma a weak smile, and Henry noticed tears in her eyes. She, like all of them, had grown fond of the pirate.

"He wanted to make sure we put Excalibur back together and got rid of the darkness, even if he couldn't be here to see it," Emma said after a while.

"Well let's give him his wish," Regina responded, motioning towards the table in the middle of the room.

"Yeah…" Emma said weakly. "Let's get this sickness out of me."

Emma stood up and walked towards the table. She looked up at Henry, and Henry saw it as an opportunity to give her a reassuring smile and nod. Emma once again used her hands to light a flame in the air and held the two blades up to it. This time, however, she had enough time for the blades to become whole.

"It worked," Henry said, smiling a little.

Merlin walked over to Emma's side. "Now, are you ready?" Merlin asked with a slight smile. "The sword's true purpose can now be fulfilled."

"Yes," Emma said, tilting her head to the right. "Yes it can."

Everyone gasped as Emma put her hand through Merlin chest and pulled his heart out.

Author's Notes: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this fanfic. I've had this on my mind for a while, and figured it would make a good fanfic, so here it is! I personally had a few issues with the Dark Swan storyline on the show, but I loved the scenes in Camelot of Emma resisting the darkness. This story is meant to show how I feel Emma would be like if she truly gave into the darkness. Chapter two will be available shortly.