Hey there, this is just my take on the season 4 finally. It is kinda focusing on Emma, Henry and Regina more then anything, but they are my favorite characters so what do you expect? And I know its choppy, especially since I tried not to reroute every little detail that happened. This is more focused on thoughts and feelings then speech, at least until the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

WARKING: SEASON 4 FINALLY SPOILERS, COMPLETELY. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, or else the ending wouldn't have had Emma going dark. (I know that's a very big shock considering that hero corruption is all my stories are usually about.)

Emma saves everyone, kinda

Emma had just left the apprentice's dead body to go try to find the Darkness that had escaped. Her and Hook caught up with Snow and Charming and then Regina and Robin came too and asked what was happening. They filled them in and were all standing guard while trying to locate the beast. Emma could here it and felt a chill go through her body as she suddenly realized that it was all around them. Then it jumped out and grabbed Regina and pulled her away from the others.

Emma was going to use her magic to stop it, but then she remembered what happened to the apprentice when she had done that. There must be another way, but she felt helpless. Robin tried to stop it but it just slapped him away. Emma realized that she had to tether it to another soul, like the sorcerer did. She voiced this, but Regina told her not to when she realized what Emma was planning on doing. She asked her parents to try to save her again, and finally told Hook she loved him before thrusting her hand into the swirling mass of darkness. She used her magic to call it to herself, asking it to take her instead of Regina, whom she wouldn't let loose her happy ending again. Her breathing got heavier the more the Darkness surrounded her and she could feel it wrapping around her very being, licking at her light in her heart and becoming acquainted with her soul. She gave her loved ones one more look, and with the agony she saw on their faces, all she really wanted was to leave. Evidently the Darkness felt that desire, and made it so. She disappeared without a trace, leaving nothing but the dagger with a new name etched into its metal: Emma Swan.

After everything was over, Regina was the fist to have the guts to walk over and actually pick up the new dagger. Her hands shook when she saw the name, because until she picked it up, she was truly hoping it didn't actually turn Emma into the dark one, but simply took her away. Though apart of Regina still hoped, that Emma was taken because of her being incorruptible. Though she has had her hard times in life, Emma was the savior.

A couple of days passed, and everyone in Storybrooke was grieving the loss. Rumple was in the hospital, still not having woken up yet. Belle was always by his side, and Will was there to support her, understanding the situation completely.

Henry, August, and Hook were looking for ways to find the sorcerer, Henry felt he might have a special connection to him due to him being chosen as the new author. In truth, Henry didn't want to believe it was true, but Regina had given him the dagger herself, thinking it is what Emma would want, so he had no choice but to believe it. Now that he had been chosen, he felt magical items differently then he did before. He had noticed that he had become more inept to sensing magic around him, sometimes that scared him a little.

He knew he could always fix the pen, and he had the ink still too. The temptation was always there, especially when he pulled the dagger out to make sure it wasn't all a dream. He wanted so badly to change things, to save Emma, but his promise to the apprentice still held true. He would only write the truth, no matter how hard that was.

Regina was dealing with everything in her own way, looking for things in her vault to try to track Emma and find the sorcerer. Henry had been helping her the first day, but seemed really fidgety for some reason and she decided he should look in the library since Belle was too preoccupied at the time. She even gave him the dagger too, telling him it was what Emma would want, but mostly doing it so she didn't feel the darkness pulling at her. Even though it didn't completely merge with her, it did leave a little unwanted after effects, thus making dark power a temptation once again. On the second day she decided to go visit the Charmings to see how they were faring. She hadn't seen them since Emma disappeared, but she kinda wished she had visited sooner once she saw the state Snow was in.

Regina walked over to Snow, who was collapsed in David's arms weeping like she did when she had to give Emma away the first time. Regina put a hand on Snow's shoulder and tried to coo comforting words to her. Snow looked at her and asked her how she could be so calm. Regina's only reply was;

"Because when it tried to take over me, it struggled. I had too much light in my heart for it to truly take over, thus giving Emma the time she needed. I know Emma has a much better heart then mine, so I suspect even though she has tethered it to herself and in all technicality became the new 'Dark One', she might still be fighting its control." Snow looked a little less depressed hearing those words. "Emma is very strong, even stronger then me, if I could resist it for that long, I think we might have a better chance of saving her then you might believe." And with that being said, Snow wiped her tears and decided it was time to stop weeping and do what the apprentice told them too do, find the sorcerer. Snow took a shower and freshened up some and they all met at Granny's. Snow was just coming in was going to say she was going to help, but an newly irritated Regina beat her to the punch line.

"Well I'm sure as hell happy that you finally can get your act back together, but your a little late to the party, Henry, August, and Hook have all been looking for answers just as much as I have, but none of us have came up with anything to help find either of them." Regina seemed a little worn, Snow didn't blame her. At least she knew she was trying. But they HAD to find a way, because none of them even wanted to imagine what would happen if they didn't.

So, there you go. I will add another chapter later on, if I get motivation to do so, but after that, that might be it. Anyways, reviews are always appreciated! No seriously though, I need the constructive criticism and motivation.

sneak peek at next chapter:

Emma couldn't really comprehend what was happening. She felt groggy but also stiff and kinda weak. She tried to move but she was being held by something. She tried to open her eyes, but all she could see was black. She felt she was on a table, or a bed maybe, but was kinda chained somehow, though there were no actual chains on her. She could feel the dark power all around her, swirling in the endless void she was in. Maybe she was inside the Darkness?

She could feel it hovering around her, but she wasn't sure what it was doing. She thought it would just take over, but she didn't want that cause she knew it would hurt everyone else. She felt eyes on her, she couldn't see them, but she could feel them. A few different sets, staring her down. Analyzing everything that made her, well Emma Swan.

She didn't know if it was all in her head or not, but she could swear she could hear voices all around her, like they were trying to figure out what to do with her. She tried wiggling again and she actually managed to get a hand lifted, but then she felt another one grab her wrist and pin it back down. She tried to make out the new shadowy figures that were forming, and when she did, she was terrified.

They looked to be the renements of the previous 'Dark ones'. She felt a connection to them, felt their souls, and felt them bearing hers dictation. She wasn't sure what was happening, but one thing was certain; she wasn't going to get out of this pure.