A/N Hey guys, this is a rewrite of my first fic which I wrote before the start of season five. The storyline may be slightly different as I incorporate some of the ideas from the show, but it will largely follow the same direction as the original did :)
Chapter one
Regina raised the dagger and was about to speak the words she had dreaded since she had come up with this plan.
She honestly had no idea what to expect, but the newest Dark One had to know that she had people there for her before she descended fully into darkness. Despite her former issues with the blonde, they had formed the kind of friendship that she could have only dreamed about in her youth. Plus, not that she had quite admitted it to herself yet, but she had began developing new feelings towards the blonde during their time in the Hero and Villain's universe.
"Regina," Snow urged in an almost hollow voice.
It had been a few hours since the saviour had sacrificed herself to save the Evil Queen and nobody knew exactly what to do, it was almost as if the whole town had become stagnant. They didn't know who to turn to and most importantly, and most importantly they didn't know where Emma Swan had gone in that brilliant flurry of darkness.
With their daughter missing, the 'two idiots' were effectively useless, so Regina had to push her feelings aside and take charge of the situation. She had sent Robin to watch Henry and Roland and had all but threatened him that he shouldn't breathe a word of what had happened to her son. She had also made the decision that they should use the dagger to summon the blonde, they could control her if she wanted to hurt anyone and being in the woods would triply ensure the safety of the citizens of her town.
Considering how fast everything had moved when they had returned to Storybrooke, she didn't even have time to consider why she didn't care about her supposed 'True Love' marrying her sister in the alternate universe. All she could focus on in that moment was Emma fighting the 'Light One' and then the saviour being thrown aside while Rumple turned the blade on their son.
She had decided to file away the information away for later, but she had yet to have a quiet moment to mull over why it had bothered her so much when the saviour had been so eager to find that wretched pirate. Of course, then the blonde had sacrificed herself without another thought, knowing full well that the darkness would do far more damage to the queen's already severely blackened heart.
It would seem that the Charming's were infective, however, as she had considered that if anyone could achieve the impossible feat of overcoming the ultimate darkness, it would be the great and powerful saviour.
"Regina," Snow urged again, "are you ready?"
Regina took a deep breath and resisted the urge to return with a scathing reply, instead, she just held up the dagger and whispered, "I summon thee Dark One."
Nothing happened and she looked over at the desperate looks that each of the Charming's were wearing, swallowing hard, she looked away from them and thrust the dark metal into the air more forcefully, "Dark One, I summon thee!"
"Calm down, dearie, what is it you want?"
Silence fell over the clearing as each of the three stared at a particularly large tree where the sound had come from. The newest Dark One was clearly already very fond of manipulation and the use of her predecessor's favourite word and she smirked as she stepped out of the shadows.
A wail ripped through Snow White's throat as her daughter stepped into the light and her eyes raked over her new look.
Her child's hair seemed to have turned completely white and was slicked back into a ponytail. She was unusually pale and she was clothed in black leather head to toe. However, the biggest thing that she noticed was the eyes, the golden orbs that she felt were almost piercing her soul.
Emma crossed her arms and smirked at the trio, leaning against the tree, she said, "come on, your majesty, speak up, I don't have all the time in the world," she chuckled as she realised something and added, "well not literally…"
"Emma?" Regina managed to get out as she inspected her once light friend. Noting the changes, she found that she was unable to form coherent sentences, nor it seemed could the Charmings behind her, as they each stood behind her with their mouths' agape.
"Yes Madam Mayor?" the blonde smirked, pushing herself off the tree, she proceeded to invade her personal space. Regina held up the dagger as a kind of barrier and Emma ran her eyes over it distastefully as she felt herself unable to move forward, she narrowed her eyes and then began to look between Regina and her parents, "seriously, what do you want? This is getting boring…"
"We wanted to see how you are…" was Snow's meek reply after a long stretch of silence.
A laughed tore its way out of Emma's throat, but it wasn't the laugh that had cheered Regina up whenever she was sad, or the soft sound that made others smile. It was the laugh of a villain. Bitterly Regina remembered the many times she had heard her mother make that horrible noise while trying to teach how to act like a 'lady'. She remembered all of the times that she herself had made that noise while taunting or scheming; thankfully it wasn't quite as manic sounding as the previous Dark One's laugh had been.
"You want to see how I am?" Emma continued, the dagger forgotten Regina allowed her arm to fall limp at her side as she observed her. Without the obstruction of the Dark One's dagger Emma continued her forward path, towards her parents this time. "Did you ask that question when you put me through a wardrobe to God knows where? Did you wonder for a second whether you were truly giving me my 'best chance' when you sent me alone to this cruel, horrible world? What would you have done if I had died in that forest they found me in? I guess that wouldn't matter would it? You would have just carried on living your life as Mary Margaret, who let's face it, hardly had to fear anything in an apparently cursed town, where most foster children would have killed to live!"
Tears were streaming down both parents' faces as Emma's words hit them right where it hurt most, David managed to choke out, "Emma, p-please we're so sorry, we thought you forgave us."
This time the laugh could have easily rivalled any that had ever come out of Rumple's throat, "you idiots! You thought that I truly forgave you for what you did to me. I was raised to believe that no one could ever love me, and just as I got comfortable someone better would come along. Did you know that I was almost adopted five times, but each time they found someone younger, with less issues, so they just sent me back like it meant nothing to them, just another kid in the system. Then you two imbeciles come along expecting me to be able to love you, like just by giving me some DNA and a blanket that I am obligated to love you. Well I've got some news for you: I don't! I only started calling you mom and dad to make you happy. That's all I've been doing since I came to this town, making other people happy. Not once has someone tried to find me my happiness. And now I get to watch you raise your second, better child. Well I guess it's just easier, isn't it? Neal doesn't have any issues, his just a blank slate that can become the child that you always wished you'd have, instead of the screwed up one that you had to suck the darkness out of," anger filled her features as she walked straight up to Snow, plunging her hand into her chest and gripping her half-heart, "shame it didn't work, isn't it?"
Snow choked back a cry as Emma applied pressure to her heart and Charming gripped his chest, feeling the same amount of pain.
Suddenly the pain disappeared, and David looked up to find Regina holding the dagger directly in front of Emma's face.
"Go back to whence you came" Regina's shaky voice filled the clearing.
As her muscles tensed, Emma turned to her parents, "this isn't over" she stated just as she disappeared in a cloud of darkness.
With that Snow and Charming each collapsed to the ground, with heavy sobs filling the cold air.
Smoke bellowed around the new Dark One and she looked back around the cabin that she had found herself in a couple of hours ago.
Taking a heaving breath, she looked over at the makeshift bed and rolled her eyes at the spirit sitting poised upon it.
She rolled her eyes and went to sit exactly where Rumpelstiltskin was and he instantly disappeared and reappeared in front of her.
He began giggling manically and said, "it's a rush, isn't it? Being able to do whatever you please?"
With a deep sigh she replied, "I cannot exactly do whatever I please…but anyway, why are you still here? I'm not even trying to resist the darkness."
"You have not yet committed any atrocities that could rival even the shortest lived Dark One, until you prove yourself, I will be here to ensure that you don't return to your hopeful little heroic thoughts."
Emma looked down for a moment, she felt utterly weak at how little she had been able to do against the manifestation of all the Dark Ones.
She was supposed to be the saviour and yet all she had been able to do was have a very short argument before the scaly apparition had convinced her that she needed to get revenge for what her parents had done. She could admit that she had been pretending to have forgave them for the childhood that she'd had, but the fact remained that they had put a new-born in a wardrobe based on some prophecy. They seemed to have no understanding of the consequences of their actions and it pissed her off more than she realised.
In fact, with the darkness coursing through her veins had only given her a better understanding for Regina. She genuinely felt sorry for the brunette for having had dealt with them for so many years.
"So you're here to tell me that I should kill my parents? Didn't I just try and do that?"
"But you failed and as a former hero, you are rather prone to sudden and convenient changes of heart. I'm simply here to offer guidance," he chuckled.
"And what kind of guidance would that be?"
"Perhaps advice on just what you could do with your parent's hearts? You despise that the whole town is aware of your one and only weakness and you could use their heart to be free of it."
Emma took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, "I'll need the dagger…"
"You have all the time in the world, dearie, patience is a virtue."
The blonde sighed and lay on her side, "people who say that are usually able to sleep…" she mumbled as she stared at the wall.
Henry knew something was wrong when Robin Hood showed up at the loft with Roland claiming to have been sent by his mother.
It wasn't that he didn't like the thief or even that he found Roland to be insufferable, it was just that he hated the fact that he and Hook were getting in the way of what he believed would be the perfect family.
He had been as surprised as the rest of the town when Regina and Emma had started becoming friends, but he could hardly argue with it. They were having a lot of family get togethers dinners, game nights and breakfast at Granny's were a few of the things that had become part of their weekly schedule and he was loving it.
He was finally beginning to understand something that he had always craved as a child: two parents.
Though he would give anything to have spent more time with his father, he liked the way that things were now, with the exception of the two men preventing the situation from being perfect.
Of course, if the Queens of Darkness hadn't gotten in the way, then he would have already implemented Operation SwanQueen, but as it was, he had yet to get past the page of notes he had been making when Robin had knocked at the door.
Instead of planning his latest operation, he was now half-heartedly playing Mario Kart with Roland, every so often, he shot a curious glance at Robin.
He could just feel that something had happened, and he also had a feeling that his mom had sworn Robin to secrecy, as if he couldn't handle whatever it was.
He couldn't take that sombre look any more, so he slammed the Wii remote down onto the sofa, and with Roland looking up with a confused expression, asked directly, "what's going on?"
"Nothing, your mom just asked me to watch you while she finishes off some paper work," Robin forced the lie through his shock.
"Straight after coming back from an alternate universe she goes to do paperwork?" Henry gives him a pointed look before continuing, "and why wouldn't she have asked my grandparents, or Ruby or Emma..." Robin's sharp intake of breath at the last name stopped Henry from continuing his list. In as measured a voice as he could Henry asked, "What happened to my ma?"
"I think you should wait for your mum to come back, she'll be able to explain better," he squirmed in his seat.
"Just tell me what happened," Henry almost growled, hardly being able to believe that they couldn't even go one night in safety.
Robin seemed to think about this for a few seconds, "Roland it's time for bed," he announced. Roland seemed to have no arguments, though he did scowl as he made his way to the bathroom to get ready.
Once they heard the door shut, Henry looked at Robin expectantly waiting for him to start, "the apprentice tried to cure the Dark One's black heart using the hat to absorb the darkness." Henry nodded, not understanding how Emma came into this, "well the hat couldn't hold that amount of dark energy so it escaped. Long story short, it attacked Regina so Emma absorbed the energy into her body. Henry, your moms the new Dark One," Robin looked tentatively up at Henry, trying to ascertain his reaction, but he was showing nothing but pure shock.
Instantly a thought pooped into Henry's head, "that's awesome!" Robin looked surprised at his sudden surge of excitement, "if anyone can control the Dark One's magic, it's the saviour. We'll find have that magic on our side," he stood up and fist pumped the air with a huge smile on his face.
"Henry, I'm not sure that's how it works..." Robin tried to calm him down.
"What do you know about magic?" Henry almost sneered, before realising that Robin wasn't a bad person, he's just bad for his mom.
As Robin struggled for a reply the front door opened, to reveal his grandparents and Regina, clutching the Dark One's dagger tightly in her right hand.
"Mom, I'm right, aren't, Emma can control the dark magic?" Henry announced as he ran over to hug her, Regina scowled at Robin.
"I think it's time that you and Roland got going, it must be passed his bedtime," Regina avoided her sons question.
"His just getting ready, I figured he could just sleep on Emma's bed" Robin replied, giving her a curious look.
Henry noticed his moms muscles tense at his suggestion, "I think Roland would be comfortable on his own bed at the mansion, I'll stay here with Henry, if that's alright."
"Alright," Robin gave each person in the room a questioning look before going to get Roland, at which point Regina waved her hand sending them both to Milfin.
Henry looked back at his grandparents, for the first time noticing their puffy eyes and the dried tears, "mom what happened?" he asked in a much less certain voice.
"Emma couldn't fight the darkness, I don't know what she is planning to do, but I think that she wants revenge on the town for making her so 'unhappy'", she explained while placing a calming hand on his shoulder, she faintly recognised Snow letting out another sniffle.
"How are we going to help her?" Henry asked, feeling tears trying to fall.
"I don't know what we can do, I don't know if the saviour even exists anymore," Regina replied.
At this Henry broke down into tears, and all that he could think was that Operation SwanQueen just got a lot more complicated.
A/N Hope you guys enjoyed XD
If you have read the original, let me know if you think this is an improvement and anything that you believed should have been included in the original :)
Let me know if you're interested in me continuing the rewrite :)