Pretty much my first serious fanfic, all comments/criticism welcome
"David, what are we going to do?" Snow opens the door to her apartment and lets in the three people that had followed her. David frowns. It had been almost half an hour since Emma absorbed the Darkness to save Regina and disappeared.
"I'm not sure there is much we can do right now." He looks at Regina, still visibly shaken from the attack. Henry has his arm around her and is guiding her into the apartment. She didn't even protest when he had said she needed to lie down for a bit. "We need to find Merlin. But we don't have a way of doing that with our most powerful magic users out of the game."
Snow hangs up her coat and places her bag on the kitchen counter. "Once Regina is feeling better she can help us find a spell or something to summon him. If Emma was here, maybe she could help, but she hasn't been answering my calls and there's no way of finding her if she doesn't want to be found." As she turns around, her elbow knocks her bag over and there's a loud sound of something metal falling onto the floor.
David and Snow stare at the dagger until neither of them can look at it anymore. They meet each other's eyes and the knowledge of what to do is already written there.
"I can't do it, David. Do we really want to… to summon our daughter? What if she's a completely different person now? What if she's… dangerous?"
"She won't be." David says with such certainty that Snow almost believes him. "And so what if she has changed a bit? Rumpelstiltskin only went so dark because he wouldn't let love into his life. We just have to be there and support her through this until we can figure out a way to fix it. As for the danger… Well, we'll have the dagger, we can stop her from doing anything that she would regret later."
David reaches down and picks up the dagger, but Snow stops his arm. "No, I'll call her." David nods, knowing it's something she feels she has to do.
Snow holds the dagger in front of her, the name turned away from her chest so she doesn't have to look at it. She takes a deep breath to steady herself and closes her eyes. "Emma Swan, I summon thee."
The words seem to echo, and the only sounds left are the soft voices coming from the other room where Regina and Henry are oblivious to what is going on. Snow opens her eyes and gasps.
"Emma." David breathes in relief at the sight of the woman who has magically appeared in front of them. Emma turns, confused. Her hair is slightly messy, with a couple leaves still in it from outside. The second she sees her parents she smiles in relief.
"Oh my god! Emma! Are you okay?" Snow rushes in without a pause, pulling Emma into a tight hug. All her concerns about change forgotten in the moment.
"Yeah," Emma says, sounding slightly disoriented, "I was just… in the woods." She looks down at the object in her mother's hand. "And apparently I can be summoned by a dagger now, so that will take some getting used to, but otherwise I think I'm fine. Crisis averted."
"But… you feel like yourself?" Snow asks, pulling away from the hug with concern.
Emma gives a half shrug. "I feel… mostly the same? I think it might have something to do with being the saviour. My light magic is cancelling out the dark somehow."
"I'm glad you're all right," Snow says gently, before smacking Emma on the shoulder very hard. "Now what the hell were you thinking?!"
"Ouch!" Emma winches and pulls back.
David steps forward swiftly, "Snow, really?"
"Yes, really! Emma, did you even think about how much pain we would all be in if you got hurt? Or what if you hurt somebody else? Did you really think sacrificing yourself was a good plan?"
Emma frowns, "Well, I-" she trails off, seemingly unable to respond.
"Snow, would you stop yelling at her? I thought we talked about being supportive…"
Emma smiles. "Thank you, dad… I-"
David cuts in, "but I agree with your mother." He puts his hand on Emma's shoulder. "You're the saviour, and the town can't afford to lose you. But more importantly, you're our daughter, and we can't lose you either."
Emma is about to finally reply when Regina slowly enters the room, looking worn out, and with Henry at her side. She has a pair of Snow's slippers on and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She straightens in shock seeing Emma, letting the blanket fall to the ground.
"What's going on?" Henry asks, "We heard…" He trails off as Snow and David part to reveal Emma. "Mom!" Henry runs to Emma's side, about to wrap his arms around her before he hesitates. He looks at the dagger in Snow's hands then back to Emma. "Uh, how are you? You don't… feel like killing anybody, right?"
Emma shakes her head frantically. "Of course not. I'm fine, kid." Henry smiles and pulls her into a hug. She looks up at the woman across from her. "Regina, how are you? The darkness didn't do any damage, right? I got to it in time?" Concern is evident in every word.
She smiles slightly. "I'm just… a little worn out. It was a powerful attack, but I'm very practiced at fighting against darkness." She too looks at the dagger, and frowns. "Now, want to tell me what the hell were you thinking? Sacrificing yourself for me? How idiotic can you get, Swan?"
"Great." Emma says, "Not you too."
"Yes, me too. And if your parents agree with me, you know there's truth to it."
Emma steps back from Henry so she can address the whole room. "Look, I know it may not have been my best plan, but come on! It was Regina. It's not like I was just going to let the darkness take away everything she worked for." She looks at her, "You may not agree with me, but you deserve your happiness, and I don't regret what I did."
Regina sighs and regrets her harsh tone earlier. "I… I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. I am, truly. I'm not sure I could survive the same road back to this point from where I was before. Thank you."
"See?" Emma grins. "I told you we were friends."
Regina rolls her eyes, but smiles, and David and Snow smile as well.
"By the way, where's Hook and Robin?" Emma asks.
"Out looking for you." Snow says, "We didn't think of using the dagger to summon you until just a few minutes ago."
"Robin too?" Emma asks.
Regina nods. "Yes, he said he owes you a couple after you saved me."
"Alright, I'm just going to call Hook and let him know I'm alright, then we can get Robin back here to help take care of you." Emma says the last part with a pointed look at Regina, who seems in danger of falling asleep where she stands.
Emma pulls out her phone and Henry gives her a one armed hug before helping Regina to a stool by the island in Snow's kitchen.
Hook's phone rings a couple times before the voicemail picks up. It's Emma's voice. "Just say your name."
"But why? This is nonsense." Says the electronic voice of Hook.
Emma speaks again, "Ugh, fine. This is Killian's phone, he can't pick up right now, and I wouldn't bother leaving a message because he's an old man that doesn't understand technology." The voice breaks off with giggles and Emma smiles, remembering that Hook had quieted her with a kiss. She hangs up without leaving a message.
"Can't reach Hook," Emma calls out to the rest of the room. "Hopefully they aren't out too long." She approaches the kitchen and sees Snow has made hot cocoa for everybody. Even Regina has one in front of her and is sipping out of it with a disinterested look on her face. Henry has somehow managed to get the blanket back over her, and even with the sharp blouse she still has on, it's the softest Emma has ever seen her.
Snow pushes a mug towards Emma and they all sit in silence for a few beats, the warm smell of cocoa and cinnamon enveloping them.
"So," Emma begins, placing an arm around Henry's shoulders, "How's my author doing?"
"I'm-" Henry's voice breaks and he coughs. "-fine." He finishes in a normal voice. "I uh, I broke the quill. I didn't want to be tempted."
"That's really big of you, Henry." Snow says, trying to not fall into her teacher voice. "We can't know if that was the best decision, because we don't know anything about being the author. But we support you." The others all nod.
"Thanks, Grandma." Henry says, smiling. "It's just, I cut my thumb on the edge afterwards. Do you have a band aid or something?" He holds up his thumb to show it's wrapped in paper towel.
"Hey, kid." Emma interjects. "I can just heal it for you, if you want. No big deal."
"Yeah, okay." Henry unwraps it and holds it up to Emma.
She holds her hand over and focuses. His thumb quivers slightly, and the edges of the cut begin to close, but stop before it's actually healed.
"Huh," Emma says, glancing up at Regina self-consciously. Surface cut healing was the third thing she taught her. "I guess maybe the darkness messed with my magic a little bit. But if that's the only thing I have to deal with, we should be okay."
She shakes out her hand then hold it over the cut again. After a few seconds of nothing happening, Emma groans. "Come on! What is this?" Suddenly, a cloud of dark grey magic envelops Emma's hand. The cut on Henry's thumb heals almost instantly.
"Emma," David begins.
"That wasn't light magic." Snow finishes.
"I-uh…" Emma slides off the stool and backs up, "No, I think this is okay. It's just more powerful now, right?" The others don't look convinced. Least of all Regina. "It's not that bad, I'll prove it. Kid, pass me that candle over there." Henry reaches for the candle, but Regina stops him, placing a hand on his arm.
She discards the blanket once again and stands, ignoring the look Henry gives her. "I think it might be best for you to take a break from magic for a while. Dark magic like this can be very dangerous."
"Seriously? Come on, Regina, you're the one who taught me to use my magic! I'm not instantly evil or anything because of this. And to be honest, I don't think you're the one to be lecturing about not using dark magic."
Regina's eyes narrow and she steps forward in a way that would be menacing, sans fuzzy slippers. "I think I'm exactly the person to be lecturing about the perils of dark magic."
Emma narrows her eyes and raises her hand in the direction of the candle. A tiny flame sputters into existence and Emma smiles in triumph.
Moments later, each mug of hot cocoa on the table, plus the candle, explode. Emma jumps, and Snow dodges to the side, but Henry and David each get soaked in steaming liquid. "Ah! Sorry!" Emma winces, stepping forward to help, but looks away hearing a soft grunt to the side.
Regina is in the midst of picking herself up off the floor, a small dent in the wall where her head hit.
"Regina!" Emma runs to her side, holding out her hand to help her up, but she waves it away. "Are you okay? Did I do that?"
"You did, Swan." Regina looks even more grumpy and tired than before. "You got a little angry with me over magic and knocked me halfway across the room. You are not in control of your actions right now, the Dark One is." She drags herself to her feel, using the wall for support.
David guides Henry to the bathroom to wipe up.
"I…" Emma pauses. "I think I need to go figure this out." She moves towards the door.
"Wait, Emma!" Snow says, "Where are you going?"
"I don't know, maybe I'll see how Gold is doing. If he's awake maybe he can give me some pointers… or maybe Belle can help me out. She's the only person who's spent lots of time around a Dark One."
Emma is halfway to the door when Regina steps forward and calls out, "Emma, just… I know more than anyone how addictive dark magic can be."
Emma sighs and turns away from the door, addressing both of them. "I'm okay. We all knew that I wouldn't come out of this unscathed. If it's just a little dark magic, I can deal with that. It's not like I'm a different person now. I'm still the saviour, right?"
Regina frowns and gets the same look she gets right before scolding Henry for doing something dangerous, but Snow interjects before she can say anything.
"Emma, I've seen dark magic do terrible things to lots of people. I watched Regina go through it firsthand. This kind of magic, it might not seem like it's changed you yet, but it will. Over time, every choice you make will send you down the same path. A dark path. We all care about you too much to let that happen to you."
"Please, mom." Says Henry, stepping out of the other room, still wiping cocoa and wax off of his shirt. "Just listen to what my mom has to say."
A defeated sigh escapes Emma. "I want to, kid. And I will, I swear. Just not right now. I need to get a handle on this and I don't think it's in any of your best interests to be near me when I do."
Regina nods in understanding, but still steps forward and puts her hand on Emma's arm, forcing her full attention. "I get that you think it's a good idea to do this alone, and trust me, it's not. But…" She trails off and looks over at Henry for a beat. His face is red from the hot liquid, but otherwise unharmed. "It would be an even worse idea for me to try and stop you right now. So do what you think you have to, but if you start to feel that dark magic affecting you, in any way…"
Emma nods. "Don't worry, I'll find you."
Neither of them notice Snow straighten in surprise at hearing those words. Or see the look her and David share.
"Yes. Come and find me as soon as you feel ready to let me help. Don't be an idiot about this, Swan."
Once again, Emma nods her understanding. "I won't." She looks back to the rest of the room and pulls out of Regina's grasp. "I'll see you guys really soon, I promise."
The door shuts behind her with a dull click.