It was a solemn night in Storybrooke the streets as quiet as ever its residents hiding behind closed curtains trying to avoid being a casualty to the newest crisis to hit the small town. Snow was tossing and turning all night her husband not so blissfully asleep next to her was not having such a good night himself his expression pained even in his dreams. She couldn't sleep however, but who could blame her she had lost her daughter again and this time finding her was going to be more difficult than ever but Snow was in despair, hopeless. How they would find a way to save Emma from the darkness. A cry came out from the baby monitor then startling Snow crackling into the eerie silence of the night. Snow got up trying not to wake David tip toeing her way over to the baby's crib, glad for the interruption something most parents complained about but Snow knew she wouldn't be sleeping tonight anyway. However when Snow reached the Crib it was empty she gasped her heart pounding not again not now she thought. Her fears didn't last long as she then heard her sons laugh coming from the corner, there was someone in the rocking chair she could only see their silhouette though.
Snow walked closer her eyes adjusting to the dark she could see who was in the chair now rocking her son back to sleep, Emma didn't look at all like the daughter Snow knew her usual relaxed happy daughter looked cold the sight of her sending a chill down Snow's spine, Emma was starring down at her baby brother no smile on her face not looking down on him with love in her eyes her expression was cold detached.
"Emma" said Snow scared but still happy to see Emma
"Mother, relax I'm not her to hurt anyone" replied Emma not even looking up a Snow
"Then why are you here" asked Snow scared but trying not to show it
"Isn't it obvious I came to see my brother" Emma answered but her voice was unfamiliar to structured there was no emotion there.
Snow didn't know how to respond to that, but it gave her a small glimmer of hope that her daughter was still there that she still wanted to be with her family.
"Emma" Snow started to say but she couldn't finish getting chocked up her eyes starting to water what could she say how could she apologize she didn't even know what she had to apologize without her memories. There was silence for a moment then Emma stood up, acting as if Snow hadn't spoken at all carefully placing Neal in his crib.
That's when Snow found the words she was looking for to try and get through to her daughter
"Emma I know we failed you but were not giving up, we will find a way to save you no matter what you do, I have hope" Snow said forcing a smile
Emma turned to her slowly walking towards Snow no expression on her face her cold demeanour sending a chill up Snows spine.
"Hope that's what you have, the same hope that got you to send you infant daughter through wardrobe to live a life alone, the same hope that's had us say goodbye to each other over and over again" Emma answered her anger in her tone while still maintaining her cold composure.
As Emma got closer to Snow touching her face once more her hands menacing and cold, she tried her hardest not to flinch away the sight of daughter as the dark one almost unbearable.
"You're going to need a lot more than that for what's coming" Emma said as she disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
Snow crumpled to the ground now the tears she tried to hold back bursting through streaming down her face, what had they done how could they have let this happen. Snow looked up the words she had spoken to her daughter the day they meet at the school playing through her mind. "Believing even in the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing". The way Emma looked at her in that moment that was her daughter and she would get her back. That's when Snow had an idea, the storybook it had returned memories before, why couldn't it do it again all it took was belief and then they would be on the way to saving Emma. Snow would not lose her daughter, her hope to darkness.