Emma Swan, the new Dark One of Storybrooke swept through town, doing whatever she wanted.
She flaunted her power, and people rapidly got out of her way. Afraid, they looked at her like she was the devil incarnate.
At least all but one did.
One night, he came striding down Main Street, looking like he owned it. The darkness enveloping the town — broken only by a few streetlights — did nothing to hide the devastating beauty of him.
She slowed, watching with curiosity as he approached her and stopped about five feet away. There was no fear or hate coming from him, only love.
"Hello love," he said at last, his lilt soft, his voice even.
Cocking her head, Emma regarded him, reaching out with her senses to see if he had the dagger.
He didn't.
"I know what you're looking for," he continued. His voice was still soft, and she wondered if he would eventually start berating her for taking on the darkness. None of her family had wanted her to, but she had anyway, to save them all.
"It's not here, is it?" Her words came out almost as a snarl.
He shook his head, sadness creeping into his expression. "No. Your parents tried to use it, but it didn't work."
"Of course it didn't work," she snapped at him. "I was in the Enchanted Forest."
"Let me guess," he pondered, coming closer. "The Crocodile's old cell?"
She nodded numbly, suddenly struck speechless when he came right up to her and took her hand in his.
Emma wanted to hurt him, the darkness she carried ached for it, but she didn't move. He just stood there quietly, his thumb making slow circles over the back of her knuckles. The darkness around them seemed to close in, shrouding them from anyone else.
After a few minutes, he raised his hand to gently stroke her cheek. "So different now," he whispered, and the lilting of his voice made her close her eyes and sway in place. He wrapped her in a hug, and she could feel the love flowing from him.
Recalling what she'd told him moments before letting the darkness take her, she whispered those words again. "I love you." Without really meaning to, she let the love she had for him engulf her.
It was too much for her darkness.
The next second, she jerked away from him, the darkness reeling in terror from so much positivity.
He stood still and watched, his face now full of anguish as the darkness rapidly receded from her. Within a minute, it had gone, leaving only Emma.
Remembering the terrible things she'd done as the Dark One, she stared at her hands in horror, then frantically wiped them on her pants.
"I—"
He wrapped her up in a hug again, soothing the inner torment. "You're alright, love," he said, rubbing circles on her back.
She grabbed onto his hook and held on for dear life, thankful in that moment that no matter how hard she squeezed, he couldn't feel it.
"I'm sorry!" She sobbed, her face buried in his shoulder.
"Shhh." He soothed her, refusing to let go when she tried to pull away. "I've got you, Swan."
Footsteps from behind her heralded people and with a sniff, she turned to look, still in the shelter of his arms.
When she saw who it was, her parents, and son, she ran to them, nearly bowling them over with the force of her hugs.
Her mother began to cry too, while her father nodded over their heads at him, his expression one of eternal gratitude.
After a moment, he joined the family as they made their way back to the loft, and Emma wasted no time returning to his arms. He'd once told her that she was his happy ending and after everything that had happened, she'd come to a realization.
He was hers too.