Dancing with Darkness
Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.
I know my regular readers are used to me publishing OUAT stories on Sundays, and I meant to post this yesterday. But since my internet was down, I hope you don't mind it being a day late. (Of course, I hope new readers enjoy this as well.)
So far, I think season five is much better than season 4. Still, I was disappointed with episode 5 x 2. They gave us a sweet scene with Snow getting Emma's hair ready for the ball, but no Daddy Charming dance! So, as usual, I've decided if I want to see this scene, I should write it myself.
This scene takes place after Emma saves Robin for Regina. Assume they return to the ball after that.
Emma walked back into the ballroom with the others. She thought she needed to lie down, but it didn't take her long to realize that only allowed her to think about her problems more. What Emma needed to do was forget. The music was still playing. Regina smiled and began dancing with Robin. The glow in her friend's eyes as she looked at Robin reassured Emma she'd made the right decision.
Still, Emma hid her hand in her pocket. There was no way she was going to let anyone see what had happened to her when she'd used even a little dark magic. What was worse than the way her hand looked was the way the magic made her feel. It was nothing like the wimpy light magic she already practiced. Dark magic was powerful and it made Emma feel more powerful than she'd ever been. There was a part of Emma that was looking forward to the opportunity to use dark magic again. "You liked it didn't you?" said the image of Dark Rumplestiltskin she kept seeing. She had. She was dancing with darkness. How long was it until the darkness swallowed her?
Fortunately, no one seemed to notice Emma's uncertainty. Most of the Camelot guests weren't even paying attention to her. Regina and Robin were too busy with each other to notice anyone else. Killian approached her with his trademark cocky grin. "I knew you weren't finished dancing with me, Emma," he commented leading her to the dance floor again.
Usually, seeing that grin on his face made Emma melt. But today, it just made her nervous. Killian had always been able to read her extremely well. Sometimes that was a good thing. But Emma didn't see how it could be good now. "Killian, I'm the Dark One now. And a part of me likes it. I'm turning into someone you've always hated. The Crocodile." No there was no way she could tell Killian what was happening to her. There was no way she could tell him he was dancing with dancing with darkness. She tried to push her fears away and just concentrate on dancing with her boyfriend. (With one hand in her pocket, of course.) After all, she needed to forget.
Her parents began dancing nearby, still keeping an eye on her of course. Emma envied their relationship. A part of her always had, but it was particularly potent tonight. They weren't keeping any secrets from each other. They never did. They didn't need to. Neither of them were dancing with darkness. As Emma continued comparing her relationship to her parents' she suddenly heard her father's voice. "Can I cut in?" he asked Killian, in his I – won't – take – no – for – an – answer voice. "You've already stolen my daughter from me. Can't a father have one dance?"
Killian sighed and nodded. "Of course, mate." Then he handed Emma to David.
Emma gave a little smile as she began dancing with her father. She had to admit, it was nice to dance with her father, despite the circumstances. Besides, she wasn't as afraid of Dad's reaction to her dark magic as she was Killian's. Dad had never been fond of Rumplestiltskin, but he didn't hate him like Killian had. Emma still had one hand in her pocket, though.
"I think you did a good thing tonight, Emma. Saving Robin, I mean," Dad commented as they danced. "I'm proud of the way you used your magic back there."
Emma sighed. Dad didn't know how complicated this was. "I'm glad I saved him for Regina's sake, but…I'd rather not talk about it, Dad." She was trying to forget about that, after all.
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David was worried about Emma. Despite the circumstances, he'd been looking forward to tonight's ball. He'd have the chance to dance with Snow, which he always enjoyed. But he'd also be able to do something he'd only dreamed about before. Dance with his daughter at a ball. But ever since she'd returned from healing Robin, Emma had been acting strange. She looked like she was really enjoying herself, dancing with her pirate earlier. And as much as David didn't always like it, Emma was usually very happy with Killian. Even as she danced with David, there was something…uncertain in Emma's eyes. He had hoped to reassure her by telling Emma she'd done the right thing tonight by saving Robin. But she said she didn't want to talk about it. So David simply kept dancing with her.
"I had a dream about us dancing together a couple of years ago," David commented, deciding maybe changing the subject would make Emma feel better. "It was when we were in the Enchanted Forest and you and Henry couldn't come with us. It started out well, you were so happy to dance with me. But then…you disappeared. Because you weren't really with us back then. I'm glad you're here for real now." He squeezed his daughters hand lightly, hoping to make it clear how true that was.
Emma sighed but she didn't look happy. She didn't agree with him. Was dancing with him making Emma unhappy? "Are you okay?" he asked her. "I thought we could dance together, tonight but if you don't want to…I guess I could give you back to Killian." He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice as he said that. It was bad enough he had to share Emma's love with Killian, but now she seemed to prefer him over David.
Emma shook her head quickly. "No Dad! It's not you. I've dreamed about dancing with my father for years, too. I'm just…forget about it."
Suddenly David realized what was bothering his daughter. The whole reason why they were in Camelot. The darkness. "Emma, you aren't going to be the Dark One for long. We'll find a way to free Merlin and he'll get it out of you. And even though you're the Dark One now, you're still Emma."
"Really?" Emma asked.
"Of course."
"But Dad, my magic is dark now. And when I saved Robin…I…look." She slowly pulled a hand out of her pocket. It was glowing with golden wrinkles, just like the skin Rumplestiltskin used have in their land.
David sighed. "I understand why you're worried about that, Emma. But that will go away soon. So will your struggles with dark magic. In the meantime, you're still my daughter. Henry's mother. Killian's…ah,…girlfriend. Regina's friend. And we'll help you." He hugged her, right on the dance floor.
"What if…what if…Killian doesn't want to help when he sees what's happening to me, Dad? He hated the Dark One."
David shook his head. He couldn't believe he was actually arguing in Killian's favor, but Emma had it all wrong. "Emma, Killian hated Rumplestiltskin because that man hurt him with his magic. Killian loves you. He won't turn you away, no matter what. He came with us on this mission, knowing you had dark magic. He was with us when you pulled out Merida's heart. He knows what could happen to you. And he's going to help you fight it."
Emma looked right up at David, like she barely allowed herself to hope in what he was saying. "Really?"
"Really. But Emma, you need to talk to him about it. I know how scary it can be. But keeping secrets only makes things worse. Remember how your mother reacted when she found out about my dreamshade poisioning?" David shuttered at the memory of one of the worst fights he'd ever had with his wife. All because he thought keeping a secret from her was a good idea.
"I don't know Dad. Maybe later. Can we finish our dance first?"
David sighed, but how could he say no to that?
Later in the show, Emma and Killian are talking and he sees her hand. They talk about her using dark magic. So I guess Emma took David's advice after all.