The Dark Backward

Chapter One

Emma, David, and Mary Margaret continued searching for the Author for well over an hour despite the dark and lateness of the hour after he ran from them into the woods surrounding the Sorcerer's mansion once the Savior released him from his prison inside the page of the storybook. Emma was determined to find him, especially the more her parents started telling her it was getting late and that they should head back into town to try to get some sleep before they continued on with their search in the morning. However, their daughter just ignored them until at last she stopped long enough for them to catch up to her.

Despite his shortness of breath from running in effort to keep up with her, he called out asking, "The Author… where is he?"

While she kept scanning woods around them, Emma replied, "We lost him."

"We know him, Emma," Mary Margaret then said apprehensively after she quickly glanced over at her husband, then turned back to Emma again.

"What?" their daughter curtly questioned as she immediately turned around to face them again.

Her mother saw and heard Emma's anger still geared towards them on account of the dark secret they finally admitted to her about what they had done to Maleficent and the villainess' child, but she continued worryingly, "We met him a long time ago, before you were born. He, um…"

When she stopped again, unsure of how she should really explain what she knew she and her husband needed to despite how angry Emma already was at them, her husband finished for her, "…manipulated us. It's because of him we were put on the path to causing Maleficent to lose her child."

"It's true," Mary Margaret added.

"No," the Savior angrily retorted as she glared between both of her parents. "No, what's true is no matter how you were manipulated, you still did what you did, and you lied to me about it! You've been lying to me about everything! About you, about me…"

David interrupted, "That's not the case. It's one incident from our past."

Emma looked at him while she responded coldly, "Don't downplay it."

"Well… we've changed," Mary Margaret stated again in hers and her husband's defense. "We've tried to become the parents you deserve."

"I am only the Savior because you altered the entire state of my being at the expense of someone else's soul," their daughter answered in despair over what they had done.

Upon him finally and truly understanding her disappointment in them, her father honestly replied, "You're right. What we did… it was wrong. But we… We didn't fully understand what we were doing. We acted out of fear. We're human."

Emma looked between them again as she responded, "Yeah, well… right now I don't care. None of that matters now. We have to find that Author before Gold does."

"Emma…" David started to say again, until Emma swiftly cut him off once she turned her back to them like she had done before, making it clear to them she was done talking about this.

"I'm calling Killian and Henry," she uttered in frustration, then pulled out her phone from her coat pocket and quickly dialed her boyfriend's number. "We're never going to be able to find the Author without a little more help. I'm not ready to give up yet."

Once Hook answered and heard Emma ask him for help, he immediately left his ship and ran back into town from the harbor to pick up Henry at Regina's, then together the two of them made their way out into the woods in order to meet up with the woman he loved and her parents at the well so they could continue on with their search for the Author.

Another few hours passed and there still was no sign of him. The Savior's son and her parents caught up to Emma and Killian again, then all of them finally agreed it was time for them to call it a night. Each of them hoped the Author was still just hiding somewhere within the woods since the Charmings knew he had once been a peddler within the Enchanted Forest from their first meeting many years ago. However, deep down they also feared they were too late and that Gold had found him before they could.

While the others walked on ahead of them as they made their way back into town, Killian reached out to hold Emma back by taking her arm, then hand into his own once she was looking at him and he spoke softly to her saying, "Look, love… I know you're still deeply upset with your parents and you're thinking you failed now that the Author's gotten away because you didn't have your mind cleared of your anger towards them, but you're wrong. Him getting away isn't your fault and even if Gold has found him, we will stop him from succeeding in whatever it is he has planned. That's what you told me this morning… remember?"

She tenderly embraced him upon seeing the worry for her in his eyes just as she had seen earlier that morning when he first arrived at the loft, and she held him close to her for comfort while she briefly thought back to that moment as she heard herself asking him, "Killian, what's wrong?"

"Before Ursula left, she told me what the villains have planned," he answered her out of worry. "To get their happy endings, they intend to darken your heart, love. To turn you into a villain so you'll no longer be the Savior."

"What?" Henry questioned with confusion while he, Emma, Mary Margaret, and David all kept their eyes on him. "You can't just un-Savior the Savior."

Killian looked over at the boy and then between Emma and her parents as he continued on, "Ursula said Gold has a way. He can use The Author to do it."

Emma stared at him with disbelief on her face until she assuredly replied, "If that's what their plan is, stop worrying. It's ridiculous. Author or no Author, I am not going dark."

"But darkness is a funny thing," he responded to her again as his fear for her and disdain for himself came across his face, being unable to hide his emotions any longer. "It creeps up in you."

"Hey, no one… not Rumplestiltskin or some Author… gets to decide who I am," the Savior answered him again, as she walked over to stand in front of him and softened her eyes while she looked deep into his.

Emma had gently touched his face in hope of putting his mind at ease before she pulled him into a hug as he wrapped his arms around her as well, while her parents whispered amongst themselves, then walked out of the apartment, clearly upset about Hook's news, or possibly something else. She had been too busy trying to comfort Killian to notice her parents' own discomfort and the secretive looks they shared amongst one another then.

After she took a few seconds to remember that moment she shared with Killian as she had comforted him like he's always done for her, Emma pulled her head back again so she could look up into Killian's eyes and then she said quietly, "I do. And you're right. We will stop Gold and the Author. I'm just upset. My parents don't really seem to be grasping how terrible their actions really were. I mean… maybe they do, but they certainly don't seem like they do. You know… I understand why Maleficent is so angry at us. Especially at Mom and Dad. They kidnapped her child, Killian. They kidnapped her baby, and stole all goodness within it to put it inside of me. Now… there's a child out there full of potential darkness and all alone. And yesterday, both of them were far too easily willing to believe in the possibility that Ursula had turned you back to your old self again. I couldn't believe it. After all you've done to become the hero you are now… that they could think you are capable of being a villain again while they knew damn well why one of these villains working for Gold are here standing against us…"

Killian finally cut her off when he sadly replied, "In case you've forgotten, Emma… I almost did lose myself and became the man I used to be."

"But you didn't, Killian," the woman he loved responded determinedly, while she reached up to his face and began to caress his cheek. "You're so quick to sell yourself short, but I know you. I know you're a good man and that you never could go back to being the man you used to be. You told me so yourself. Back when you were trapped under Zelena's control when she cursed your lips to try to hurt me."

"I remember," the Captain gently answered her. "My point is, I understand why they believed in the possibility. I don't hold it against them for it. You aren't ready to forgive them just yet… I understand that too. Which is why I won't push you, until I can sense you're ready to hear me out. Now, it's getting late. It is late, and a bit colder than it was. You should head home and try to get some sleep."

Emma looked at him again like he was crazy as she replied, "Home? You mean to where my parents are? I don't think so. At least not tonight. I can't be anywhere around them right now because I'm still far too angry with them for what they did and then for lying to me about it. I'm also angry that I didn't trust my superpower enough to believe they were lying to me all this time. Even after you asked me a few days ago if I believed they could lie to me. I just… of all people, I never thought they would."

Killian wanted to defend her parents, but knowing Emma wouldn't accept anything he could say about them, instead he leaned in to kiss her on her tenderly on her forehead and then he responded, "Well… you could come to stay aboard the Jolly Roger if you'd like. Not… not with me of course, but you could… take my quarters and I can get myself a room at… at Granny's."

"Killian, I wouldn't be opposed to sleeping with you," she whispered as she looked into his eyes again and smiled. "Now may not be the right time, but know that if I were to take you up on that offer, I would want you there with me. It's very sweet. I can get a room at Granny's too if I need one, but I should just suck it up and bear it. And I'm going to. Besides, you've been without your ship all these months because you traded it for me. You deserve to stay with it."

"If you insist," he answered when he smiled back at her, then together they slowly started making their way back into town.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Charmings' loft, Emma walked around Killian so she was facing him and laid her hands up against his chest, then she stated, "Try not to worry about me so much. I'll be alright, Killian. I promise you. As for the Author, and Gold… we just have to hope Gold hasn't discovered we've released the Author from the page yet. And if he has, and he's taken the Author into hiding so he can make some kind of deal with him, we'll figure out how to stop them. Now… go on. Get some sleep yourself."

Killian nodded and leaned in again to kiss her lips, then he pulled back a little as he whispered, "Aye. As you wish. Sleep well, Swan. If you need me, for anything… you know where I'll be. Good night."

After he kissed her tenderly once more and she kissed him in return, the Savior turned away from him and the pirate watched her climb the stairs up to her apartment, then waited until she was safe inside before he finally left to head back to his ship for the night. Unfortunately, he didn't get further than Marco's garage when he was suddenly rendered unconscious by a wave of magic that struck him from behind just as he sensed he was being followed. Once he collapsed against the ground, Maleficent stepped out from the shadows where the street lights couldn't reach with her staff in hand and she walked over to stand above him, then waved her hand as she and Killian both vanished within a thick cloud of dark purple smoke.