AN: This idea came to me while I was listening to What Have You Done by Within Temptation. It pretty much sums up this story, and maybe you should listen to it before reading ;)

Captain Swan is dissolved in chapter 1, and Outlaw Queen is sort of too (Robin will be around for a while longer, but nothing romantic, I promise); Hook is around until he's... not.

This was originally put up on AO3, but I thought I'd share it here too; so you guys get to be the lucky ones that don't have to wait for updates!

After was a blur. Regina couldn't say exactly what had happened. One minute, Emma had been standing in the middle of the road, darkness swirling all around her, siphoning into her through the dagger. The next, she was gone, and the dagger was on the ground. Still, Regina couldn't move, was hardly breathing. She was having trouble processing what had just happened, which was why she didn't see Hook step forward and collect the dagger from where it lay in the middle of the road.

She didn't see or hear Snow and David arguing with the pirate over who should keep the dagger safe. All she could see, imprinted in the back of her mind, were Emma's eyes just before she had shot her hand up and taken all the darkness away.

Had she been crying? For Regina? That made no sense.

Robin letting go of her — finally — was what snapped her back to reality. She blinked around, eyeing the fighting trio in front of her, before looking at Robin.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded dumbly.

"What's all the commotion about?" she asked, gesturing towards the three people arguing, their voices getting louder and louder.

Robin looked at her for a moment, not sure what to say. Finally, he shrugged and sighed. If she said she was fine, then he wasn't going to push. "Killian says-"

But just then, Snow's voice rose to a screech. "I DON'T CARE WHAT SHE TOLD YOU, SHE IS MY DAUGHTER, AND YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME AGAIN!"

Regina sighed. Although she had to give that point to her former nemesis, she did seem to have the worst luck in keeping her children near her. Regina half expected Snow to permanently attach Neal's bassinet to herself from here on out.

Hook's response wasn't as shrill, but was still loud enough that it carried to where Regina still stood with Robin. "I am her True Love, I should be entrusted with her fate!"

Regina watched in morbid fascination as Snow cocked her head to the side, her fist clenching into a fist.

"Idiots," she muttered under her breath.

Beside her, Robin turned to look at her, surprised. "How are they idiots for wanting to protect someone they love?"

She shook her head. "Neither of them is equipped to deal with… the Dark One, when she comes calling for what is hers."

"And how do you know she will?"

She didn't look at him, her gaze on the dagger clutched tightly in Hook's hand. "It's Emma. I know her."

"So who should look after it then?"

"Me, of course," she said impatiently, annoyed that Robin didn't understand this. It was her fault Emma was like this now, she had promised Snow and herself and Emma that she wouldn't let the blonde lose herself to the darkness, and now look what had happened. "I need to keep it in the house, under a protection spell."

"What? Regina, you can't be serious!"

She turned to him then, eyes flashing dangerously. "And why not?"

Her true love took a wary step backwards at the look in her eyes. "It's too dangerous. If you're right, and she comes looking for the dagger, then you can't keep it at home. She could hurt Roland!"

She gave a derisive laugh. "Despite the fact that you and Roland have been living there, it is still my house, Robin. If I think it best to take the dagger there, that is exactly what I will do."

"I won't let you endanger my son over some misguided attempt to prove yourself."

Her eyes flashed again, and Robin took another step backward. This time, Regina matched him, stepping forward, a grin spreading over her lips. "Prove myself? To whom? I was under the impression that I didn't have to prove myself to anyone."

"No, of course not, I just meant -"

"I know what you meant." Her voice had dipped in tone, and any trace of a smile was gone from her face. "I think you and Roland should move out," she told him, attention already shifting back to the three people a few feet away.

David was looking at her, a worried expression on his face, and she nodded. He relaxed, and touched Snow's back, whispering something to her. Snow's head snapped away from Hook to look at Regina, and she smiled. Regina chuckled darkly. Who knew one day she would be reassuring Snow White that everything would be okay? And without saying a word. Had their… friendship — she shuddered at the word — really evolved so much over the years?

"Regina, you don't mean that."

The voice next to her held an astounding resemblance to a whine, and she sighed again, having completely forgotten Robin was still there.

"I really do, Robin. I don't appreciate you thinking you can control what I do, much less in my own house. If that displeases you, then you are welcome to vacate the premises." She turned to look at him briefly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an obnoxious pirate to deal with."

But just as she turned away from Robin's incredulous face — really, had he always been this pedantic? — she heard Snow yell, and Hook's voice rise once again in a roar that stopped the world from spinning:

"Dark One, I summon thee!"

She whipped around, any thoughts of Robin Hood instantly leaving her mind, as she turned to look at the stupid pirate.

"What are you doing? You idiot!"

Hook looked up at her, a smirk on his lips. "I'm taking what is mine, Your Majesty."

She shook her head in disbelief just as dark red smoke swirled and Emma appeared next to him. It seemed like the whole world held its' breath as all five adults stared at the blonde in fascination.

Physically, she hadn't changed. She was still wearing the white sweater, blue jeans and ankle boots she had before. But it was her eyes that made Snow gasp and take a step back; they were completely void of emotion.

She turned her head slowly, zeroing in on Hook holding the dagger, and a lazy smile spread over her lips. Regina held her breath at the feral nature of the expression, her body moving forward before she was even aware of it.

"You summoned me."

It wasn't a question, but apparently Hook felt the need to answer her anyway. "Aye."

Emma eyed him for a long time. "Well?" she finally snapped.

He flinched. "Swan. What you said to me, before…"

"Emma Swan is dead," the blonde proclaimed loudly, talking over Hook's nervous babbling. "You'd do well to disregard anything she told you."

"Emma."

The whisper was almost inaudible, and for a second, Regina wondered where it had come from, before she realised she had spoken. She was so intent on the blonde, she hadn't even registered the thought to open her mouth.

Emma turned slowly, head cocked to the side, gaze assessing. "Regina," she purred, smiling. This smile was different from the one she had given Hook before; it was less like a cat regarding a mouse, and more…

"You're not the villain anymore, are you?" she kept on smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes, and Regina bit her cheek to keep tears from spilling.

"What have you done, you stupid Sheriff?"

"Oh yeah. Guess I should give you my notice," the blonde quipped, and this time her smile went a little deeper, and crinkled her eyes. It was gone quickly, though, as Hook, still gripping the dagger, snapped impatiently.

"Swan, never mind her, what about me? You're my happy ending."

The glint in Emma's eyes as she turned back to Hook ever so slowly, was enough for Regina to take another step forward, unsure of what she planned on doing, but certain that if the pirate kept on antagonising the blonde like this, things would not go well.

"Well that's just too bad for you, isn't it?"

"What?"

The Dark One shrugged, nonchalant. "I never said you were my happy ending, you know."

Snow gasped, and Charming hugged her, reassuring. Emma's eyes didn't even flicker towards her parents.

"It's funny, isn't it, Killian, how you were always depending on me for everything. Put all the weight on my shoulders. I'm the one keeping you good, I'm your happy ending, I'm the Saviour, all the responsibility in our relationship always fell on me. Well, guess what, I'm done. I'm done pretending I care enough to stick around."

Hook's jaw was hanging open, but he shook his head, anger in his eyes. "Well, you can't leave," he told her, waving the dagger around in front of her.

Regina felt her stomach bottom out at the look in his eyes; a look she recognised all too well from her husband, and she opened her mouth. Probably to want Emma, or maybe to yell at Hook. Maybe she should just tackle him to the ground and wrestle the dagger from the odious man. She really did not relish the idea of letting him hold on to it for another second.

Instead, Emma sneered. "Well, then, at least make looking at your face worth my time and give me something useful to do."

Hook's jaw clenched. "Very well. If this is how it will be, Swan…"

"Hook," Regina cautioned, her tone making it obvious he should tread carefully.

He completely ignored her. "Take me to Rumplestiltskin," he told Emma. Regina had a split second to feel terror, before Emma sighed, and they both disappeared in another cloud of red smoke.