So I was thinking about the final moments in the premier episode where Emma says how they are all about to be punished for whatever happened in the missing six weeks, and some of the moments in the sneak peek for Sunday's episode when this one-shot came to mind. Also I got to thinking about the scene in How to Train Your Dragon where Stoick disowns Hiccup. So can anyone see where this is going?
Not My Son…
"All I wanted was to go to OZ; but no! You had to go and do the right thing. Well how did that turn out?" Zelena asked her sister with distain.
"Look if we are going to get Emma back and stop whatever evil she unleashed or followed us back from Camelot we have to work together." Regina said through her teeth.
They were out in the middle of town, since Regina told them to meet there. She was just explaining that Emma had essentially warned her about the problems that were going to start and how she needed to 'step up and do what needs to be done'. Meaning what exactly? She did not know. However what she did know was that if they were going to beat whatever was coming, then she needed her sister's help…which was not exactly working out all that great, "And why the hell should I help you?" Zelena shot back at her, "You have done absolutely nothing to help me, besides it seemed whatever beds you all made," she motioned to the group, "you should lie in it."
"In case you haven't noticed," Hook started saying as he stepped forward, "you came to Camelot with us. In Emma's mind, you are guilty by association."
"I wouldn't have been there if you all hadn't literally tied me up and dragged me with you band of misfits."
Snow and Charming stepped in the middle trying to defuse World War Three as Hook and Zelena were about nose to nose. Robin went to Regina's side to be ready to restrain her if need be as she too took a step forward. Henry just stood off to the side wondering how this all went wrong in the first place. However the shouting had gotten worse and he couldn't think, so he did the next best thing, "SHUT UP!" Everyone stopped and looked at him now, "This is getting us nowhere." He said softly.
Before anyone can say another word, they heard someone clapping behind them. Turning they saw Emma standing there still clapping her hands, "Bravo. Simply wonderful." She stopped as she saw their jaws drop, "Oh please do not mind me. I am simply here to enjoy the show."
"Emma? What are you here?" Snow whispered out as she walked over to her daughter.
Emma snorted and crossed her arms, "I am here to watch the show. Have you gone deaf or something? I literally just said that one minute ago."
"Swan-" Hook whispered taking a step towards her.
Emma however stepped away, "Do not start with that pirate. I am not here to help any of you. I told you all before…there is no savior in this town anymore." Her cold dead eyes met theirs as she glared them down, until she came in contact with Henry's, "I did however come for him."
"What?" Regina gasped out as she went over to him, "Why?"
"I am giving him a chance at redemption." Emma said as she took a step towards them, but Regina forced Henry to take a step back.
"Redemption?" Charming asked looking at his daughter as he held Snow close to him.
"That is right. Don't bother asking about getting a second chance from me though," Emma said looking at her father, "as far as I am concerned you are all out of chances."
"But why?" This time heads turned to Henry as he forced himself away from Regina to approach his birth mother, "What have we done? Why won't you give them a chance?"
He saw her eyes soften when she looked at him and he hoped there was still a small trace of light left, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." She said simply as she looked away from him to look at her nails, "I have given them more than one chance, but each time they failed. Camelot was the final straw. You however…" Looking at him now, "never let me down before…only in Camelot; but I am giving you a chance now. Come with me and you will be redeemed."
Silence descended upon them and no one moved or spoke a word for a good long minute. Henry looked at his grandparents, Killian, Regina, and even to Zelena (who had her hand protectively on her stomach) and Robin (who stood closer to Regina), "What if I don't want to come with you?" Henry whispered out.
Any ounce of light that was in Emma's eyes vanished as she looked at her son, "I highly suggest you come with me. You do not want to be anywhere near…them. Think of this as your only chance at redemption."
"Mom please don't do this. You really do not want this." He spoke urgently, "You are good. You are the Sa-"
"NO!" Emma hissed out as the sky darkened slightly and dark magic started to slowly leak off of her. Regina tried to move to get Henry away from Emma, but found she was unable to move as was everyone else, "I am not the Savior. I am no one's puppet. Not anymore. I played the whole part of the marionette for far too long." Glaring harshly at her parents she made explicitly clear, "And I am DONE."
Henry held up his hands to try and calm his mother down. He slowly approached her despite everyone else telling him to back away from her, "Ok…ok I understand."
Emma forced her death glare away from the onlookers and looked at Henry, "You cannot possibly understand."
"You are right, but all the same this is not right." Henry said.
"Listen to the boy. If you really wanted to punish us, you would not have warned us about the problems that are coming." Killian spoke up.
"Oh please. You are all mine to handle. I will not allow anything else to try and destroy you." Emma called over to him, "You are all mine."
The group winced as they felt a slow crushing weight on them. Regina stole a look at her sister before returning to watching Henry with Emma, "Mom please-" Henry tried again.
"No now enough. I gave you time, so choose. Me or them." Emma spat as she pointed a finger at the on lookers.
Henry stood there conflicted. If he went with Emma, he could have a chance to save her. However who would help the remainder of his family if he should fail? His mouth hung open, unable to speak. Does he go with his mother, or stay? Looking back at Emma he tries one more time to reason with her, "Mom please don't do this."
Emma looks at him and the way she was looking at him, he knows instantly that what he said was the wrong thing to say, "So…you would choose them over me…"
"I am not choosing anyone! I am trying to do what's right!" Henry said earnestly. Although if he thought about it, he was siding with his grandparents, Killian, and Regina, "Mom please just listen-"
"No!" Emma yelled now, "I will not listen to anymore lies!"
Henry winced. Never before had Emma yelled at him, not even when he was trapped in Pan's body; but he was afraid when she had her gun trained on him. Now that she was the full Dark One, he was scared. Why was this happening? Rumplestiltskin loved Baelfire and would do anything for him. What could have happened between him and his mother to make Emma this angry at him, "We really do not remember what happened in Camelot." Henry begged, "Please what did we do to you?!"
Emma was pacing back and forth, almost like a caged tiger ready to pounce on anyone and anything, "Bull shit. How many times are you going to use the bloody memory loss excuse? Every time something goes wrong you blame a curse. When are you going to take full responsibility for your actions?!" She yelled at all of them. Then looking at Henry once more she says, "One last chance. Are you with me or against me? You cannot have it both ways boy."
"If you are asking me to abandon our family…I am sorry, but I can't." Henry whispered. He couldn't go with Emma. He stepped away from her, he was going to have to find some other way to reach her.
"So be it." Emma said as she swiftly turned her back on him, "I am done with you…all of you. Once you get this mess sorted, you are all mine to handle."
"Wait mom!" Henry yelled trying to catch up to her as she strode away.
"Henry!" The group behind him yelled as they too were now able to move and catch up to him.
Henry did not listen as he grabbed Emma's arm, "Let go of me!" Emma yelled. She did not want to use magic on him, but she was really at her wits end as something stirred within her.
"You can still help us. You still have some light in you. Please give us one more chance to help you! I promise we will not let you down again. Please mom! I know you! You are still the Savior somewhere deep down!"
This was it, any light that still resided in Emma vanished in a moment, "NO! ENOUGH!" Emma retched her arm away from him, swatting him to the ground. In that moment there was an icy stillness where no one moved a muscle, due to Emma momentarily freezing them on the stop. Henry stares up at her in complete shock, "You have thrown yourself in with them." Emma motions to the group in a deadly tone, "As far as I am concerned I am not your mother…because you are not my son." With that Emma disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
The small spell was lifted and Regina ran over to Henry and everyone else followed, "Henry?" She called to him as he was still in shock.
"She is gone…" Henry said slowly unable to comprehend what had happened. Looking at Regina he did the only thing he could do, he hugged her. Regina hugged him close not able to do or say anything more. The group just stood to the side exchanging looks of uncertainty.
Zelena took this moment to speak up after a few minutes, "I am in."
"Excuse me?" Regina asked looking at her.
"You are right. If there is any hope in stopping Emma, and whatever else is coming; we are going to need to work together." She said eventually.
"What hope is there?" Henry asked pulling away, making everyone look at him in surprise, "She disowned me. She is gone…"
"Hey…" Robin knelt down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "There is always hope. You are the Believer, so you have to believe that there is a way."
Henry was still unsure, so Charming knelt down, "He is right. This wasn't Emma, Emma did not say those things to you. It was the darkness."
"Emma loves you Henry." Snow said, although she could see the words stung more than he was letting on, "She would never dream of saying those things to you."
"Aye lad." Killian stated, "We have to keep trying."
A moment passed before something went off in Henry's head, "So she was right in away. I am not her son…I am the son of the Savior…not the Dark One."
"So what are we calling this mission?" Regina asked seeing that Henry was slightly better.
He thought for a moment. There was something that Emma had said that struck a chord with him. The way that she was begging him to have the chance at redeeming himself, however now it was her that needed redeeming…because she was the Dark One and on the side of ultimate evil, she needed a chance at redemption…in fact they all did, and this was their chance at obtaining it, "Operation Redemption."
