Prologue - "The only way"

Moments after each one of them had been marked and Gold had explained them what was about to happen they tried to organize their movements.
David and Belle (who has also been marked) were leading to the library while Regina and Robin decided to search her vault.
Henry was supposed to help Emma to figure out a plan to delay Hook but the sickness she felt all of a sudden made them cancel their plans. Therefore, Henry went with his other mom and Emma tried to rest under the protection of her mother.

She couldn't sleep, she knew that. But she needed so badly to just lay down and do nothing. She was in this house, the one that should be their home. Alone once again in "their" bedroom she could only think the last weeks. She had lost him three times already. Two from death, and one in the darkness and now she had to see him destroy her family without being able to stop him. No. She should do something. If he wanted to go that far, she could go even more to protect the people she loves. The problem was...she loves him too. Tears start rolling down her cheeks before she managed to stop them...

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He waited patiently until they were gone. Everything was exactly as he wanted to be. Mary Margaret was inside with Emma. Well, he could handle Emma.

He appeared with swirl of smoke in the hallway right after Mary Margaret started to leave from Emma's door.

"How is she?"

It was almost a whisper but enough to startle her. She turned around and her eyes widened of surprise when she saw the worry in his eyes.

"Ah.. Not well. What are you doing here?"

He made a step forward to look inside the room. She was looking as if she was sleeping but he knew better. He couldn't sleep either all this time, no matter he didn't even imagine the real reason. With a small movement of his hand he saw her body relax. She needed this sleep more than ever, before everything collide. He could give her at least that before...
He closed the door and turned back to Mary Margaret.

"I wanted to talk"

"To me?"

"To anyone. But... you were the best option."

He reached her while his vision had already started to become blurred.

"You are the only who can always really listen to someone. Well...you're a mother. You can naturally understand more"

She was so confused by his behavior that she didn't know how to react. She hesitated to speak and when she did, it was a mix of anxiety and curiosity.

" You... don't seem like the Dark One Hook. Not the one Emma and Gold described."

"Because I'm not what they described. That's only what I wanted them to see."

"I don't understand"

"You will. I'll tell you everything, because I don't know if I can carry this burden alone. But I don't want you to do this either so after our conversation I'll erase this memory. You won't remember that you saw me here. You'll remember nothing."

"Why do you need to do this?"

"Because you're Snow White. You have this instinct to save everyone. But this time we can't be all safe."

He showed her the ladder with a gentle gesture and he started to speak again only when they had sat at the vintage-looking couch.

"This isn't easy so please don't interrupt me. You can ask anything at the end."

She was observing him all this time and the more she was doing this the more worried she was feeling. And the fact that she still couldn't understand was making this feeling worse.
His voice interrupted her thoughts before she could come to a conclusion.

"As everybody knows, I am the Dark One. And I know you remember what I did back in Camelot. It was so easy for me to succumb to the darkness once again. I was weak. I was also angry , I can't deny that. Emma defied me when what I've always been doing was to respect her choices."

"I was against her too, but now that we're here I'm happy she did this. You wouldn't be here otherwise and… She loves you"

"I know. Although the same anger came back the moment I learned the truth, it faded away when my eyes met hers. She was waiting desperately from me to hug her, to thank her, at least to spent time with her so we could talk. But the only thought I had that moment was that she did all of this for me and I was still refusing to accept her as a Dark One. Learning that she had become the demon I detest most because of me was the worst thing. Even worse than I had become that too."

He took a moment to organize his thoughts. He wanted her to understand how he was feeling. He wanted to express all this pain. It might be easier to do what he has planned after that.

She took his hand in hers gently and he looked up to see this "mother" look and a small smile.

"You can tell me. Don't stop now, please"

"I won't, I just... I'm actually trying to justify my unjustifiable actions. What I've done, what I've said and what I'm about to do."

"You're scaring me"

"Oh that's good. I'm scaring me too."

"Killian. What's wrong? What's this plan of yours? Gold explained us what happened out there but now that you're talking to me I can sense that there's more. You don't seem like you want to hurt me you know."

His eyes looked at her again after several moments he spent staring at the floor. His vision was now surely blur and his eyes wide as he was looking her with an undeniable honest look.

"I don't want to hurt you. None of you."

His voice was like a vow. An almost inaudible sound in the silence of this big living room but so steady and strong that made her lips come up in a sweet smile. She caressed his hand once again in a try to calm him down but she also needed more to understand.

"I can see that. But then why are you doing all of this?"

He couldn't delay it more. He didn't have the time to do this. David would come back and he had to use this remaining time wisely.

"I can't stand Emma being the Dark One, with everyone not trusting her because of me. She spent all these nights alone. Without her family, without someone to hold her and tell her it will be ok. I wasn't there when she needed me the most"

He didn't prevent the tears that had filled his eyes and now his face.

"You can be now"

"No!" His voice interrupted her in an instant. This wasn't an option. "I don't want this for us. I never did. Emma was always the light in my life. I can't now accept us both living in the darkness"

"We'll find a way"

"We both know the darkness is more powerful than ever now. However, there is a way. And that's what I'm going to do. That's why I'm showing the worst of myself to everyone, even Emma."

He looked determined and she felt her blood running cold inside her.

"I don't think I'll like this."

He smiled sadly but still determined to not step back.

"You won't but it's the only way. If we want to destroy the darkness we must gather it inside one person and sacrifice him. And the truth is... I don't care what everybody want. The only thing I need is to know that Emma is safe and back to herself and that's exactly what I'm going to ensure. "

"Killian you won't..." she stopped the sentence she had just started with terror in her eyes. She couldn't continue. She didn't want to accept what she had finally understand.

"Don't try to stop me. Please, there's no point. We can't both live and there's no way I'll let something happen to her"

She didn't know what to say. She expected something really bad but couldn't even imagine what she'd just heard. She looked at him with wet eyes and weak voice.

"She'll be devastated."

"I know. But you'll be with her" He was the one who squeezed her hand this time. "It's my own decision and you have nothing to do with this. That's why I'll erase this memory. I don't want her to blame any of you. She needs you."

"No. No I can't accept that. You can't take my memories now that you told me everything"

He laughed hard and shallowed. His voice louder than before.

"And you want me to do what? Let you talk to David and Regina and risk my plan? No, thank you. I have to make sure this plan will work exactly as I want it to."

"Killian I can't just let you die. Emma wouldn't want me to. And none of us want it either."

He looked down again with a bitter smile.

"You'll manage. Your lives weren't that bad before I came here. Emma will need some time at first but then it'll be alright."

The shock she felt from his words was bigger than the one she felt when he told her about his plan. He still wasn't understanding. He really didn't know?

"You know that's not true right?"

He looked at her and for the first time she didn't see just her daughter's lover. Nor her husband's mate, nor the new part of their family. She just saw this grown up man with child's eyes. And the look his eyes had...she had seen it before. Oh God, she could never forget this look her daughter had back in Neverland when she was trying to understand who she really was. When she started to understand who she really was.

Just a lost girl. Who didn't matter. And didn't think she ever would. A little girl who cried herself to sleep at night because she wanted her parents so bad. And could never understand. Why they gave her up?

Emma's words came to mind in an instant while her look softened even more. She didn't know what had happened to his family. She knew from David about a brother he lost. She didn't care. Not now. The only thing that mattered now was that he hadn't had a family for a long, long time. And he didn't thing he ever would.
She smiled at him and she moved her hand to his cheek. They've never been so close before but if this wasn't the time, now that he wanted to sacrifice for all them, then she didn't know when it would be.
His look was filled with surprise when she did it and she tried to explain him as better as she could. He was right. She was a mother. And as a mother she could understand more than others. And the fact that all he wanted this moment was just this made her heart melt once again.

"Killian you're one of us now." He tried to speak but she put a finger in front of his mouth to stop him. And he obeyed just looking at her. "And I don't mean that you can collaborate with David without arguing with him. Nor that you can talk with Henry with more ease. You are part of our family. You earned that by yourself. You've been always there, not only for Emma, but for everyone. "

"Don't do this. I'm not a hero. " His voice was weak and calm and his eyes, still looking at her, were sad. "You don't know what I've done in my life"

"And you can't imagine what I've done in mine. Back, when Regina was haunting me, I made mistakes too you know. And after that… I've done mistakes that hurt the people I love. I even killed Cora."

"And you regretted that."

"So you mean you haven't regretted what you've done?"

"I have. But my mistakes are incomparable with yours."

"Nobody is born a hero or a villain Killian. Regina wasn't villain when I met her. And she's not now. She made a real big effort to come that far. And you've done such an effort too. It was your choice. You're the only one who choose what kind of man you want to be"

His eyes widened. He remembered the last time he used this phrase. And it wasn't a happy memory.

"It's good to hear it now. It gives me strength but...it doesn't matter if I agree in "the hero thing" anymore. Because this time I'll make things right."

Her hand dropped down again when she remembered the real reason they were here. "There's no way to stop you?"

"Really… no!" He smiled again and she did too.

"Then you need to know, we'll miss you. All of us. And I'm still begging you to not do this!"

"I'll miss you too but you can't make me rethink that."

He was about to tell something more when he suddenly looked back at the door. "David's coming. We don't have time. Your memories will be back where they belong when everything is done. Tell Emma I'm sorry... for everything."

"Killian you don't have to do this"

That was the only thing she managed to say with tears in her eyes before his hand sparkled with magic and he was gone.

The door opened and she looked around confused. How did she get here?

"Mary Margaret. How's Emma?"

"Oh she's...fine. I think."

He started to walk towards her. "Are you alright?"

"Yhea honey. I might have slept a little. Did you find something?"

"Not much."

He looked worried and she took his face in her hands. "What is it?"

He hesitated at first... "I'm just thinking… if these are our last moments together and there's nothing I can do... I don't want to waste them. I want to be with you. With Neal, with Henry."

"Dinner at Granny's. That's what we should do." Henry's voice made them turn around and they saw him coming with Regina.

"Yhea. Dinner at Granny's that's a great idea. " He said while he was hitting gently his grandson at the shoulder.

"What about Neal?" Her voice made them notice her. She had heard them and now she was staring at them with tears in her eyes while she started stepping down the ladder again. "He'll be left here all alone"

Her mother smiled at her as she looked at little Neal who was sleeping quietly next to the couch. "He won't be alone Emma. He'll have you."

"I will not give up on my own family"

"Emma we are almost out of time, and time is what's the most important. Time with those we love." She cupped her child's face and left a kiss at her forehead. "I know you won't stop trying. And I hope you succeed but promise me that you'll come meet us at Granny's, come to say goodbye"

"I promise" she said before she hid in her mother's hug and she was doing great effort not to break down.

"I love you Emma."

"I love you too"

She left her and reached David and Henry. She took Neal, who was now resting in his father's lap, in her hands and they started leaving the house with sad smiles in their faces.

"So you're giving up?"
Regina finally spoke after standing still in her place all this time.

"No. Not tonight. Not ever." she said with more determined voice than she should have had...

AN: This is my first attempt to write a fanfic so I need to say that I'm sorry for any mistake in English. It's not my fisrt language and I hope I didn't make lots of mistakes.
Please let me know if you liked it and if you want me to continue with this story.
Thank you. :)