Inspiration via a thread on the Remma FB group, if you're a SQner and you're not on this group, you need to be, it's awesome. :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights to respective parties etc. etc. I just am borrowing them for this story and several other stories and they run around rampant in my mind a lot.

TETHERED

CHAPTER ONE

She wasn't sure how long she had been that way, time seemed to merge together into fragmented pieces of memories that felt like they were eons ago for them to be her, to be that person of light, to being The Saviour.

Her breath plumed out in front of her like the mass of darkness inside her struggling to break free from every crevice, exploding into the universe to corrupt every single living human being with her presence alone.

Sure there had been a Dark One before, Rumplestiltskin had been an amateur in comparison to the new Dark One, her magic had combined with the darkness that imbued the dagger and evolved into something new... something more mephistophelian.

Suddenly something was pulling at her innards, threatening to make her implode into the air surrounding her, her vision blurred and she wavered on the spot as she fought it, willing her body not to shatter into a million pieces to ride away on the wind like a dust but her body disobeyed her when there was only one thing in this world that could override her own will and it ensconced her soul, devouring it from the inside wrapping it up and tethering her to gleaming argent and a forever blackness that she could feel swell through her blood stream and turning her more sinister every, single, day.

She materialized in familiar surroundings, contrasting black, white and silver filled her vision immediately, her fingertips tingled and her body hummed at the magic permeating in the air, sepia orbs swimming with an obscure emotion that she couldn't quite comprehend was the first thing she was drawn to.

"Why did you call me here?" She inquired, her voice low and dangerous but there was no visible change to the person that stood before her, no inclination that she felt threatened by the blonde even with her new appearance.

"You know how this works," She replied, lifting the glinting object clasped within olive fingers and she raised dark eyebrows.

"You know what I mean," The blonde countered, green eyes narrowing in frustration and she could feel the anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach, "You need to return the dagger to me, I have no use to you at all..." She tilted her head then, her serpentine tones trailing off to a whisper as she stared intently at the forbidding woman, "Unless..." She inched forward and lifted pale fingers and stroked the index finger down the smooth skin of the woman's cheek, "Unless, Regina, you want to come back to this?"

She felt rather than saw a brief movement as the brunette raised her hand and gesticulated with the dagger once more.
"Never," She stated, her intent very clear before she drew breath, "However, there is something I do need to talk to you about," Her tone was clipped, very much like the Mayor she knew four years ago and her swan like neck tilted, emerald orbs closing to an almost slit as she tried to decipher the brunette's intent and the other part of her, the good part of her, swelled for a moment as she tried to keep the darkness at bay.

"Go on," She replied with almost disinterest as she slowly toured the room, running sharp fingernails and breaking the spines along several leather book spines on the shelf and she heard a sharp, irritated breath behind her before she was commanded to stop and look at her.

Her heels pivoted without her consent, her gaze refocusing on the dark skinned woman, a slight growl filtered between petite pink and a brief flash of pearlescent as her tongue trailed the edge of her lips.

"I guess I am at your command then," She hissed.

"Enough of that, Miss Swan!" Regina snapped, "Sit down," with a flourish the blonde seated herself in the high backed chair in the corner before returning her attention to the older woman.

"Would you please get to the point of this little summons?" Emma purred attempting to put Regina on edge but only seemed to produce a more predatory look that stirred something lower.

"You don't know?" The Mayor teased, her sultry tone drawing the blonde in and even with all the darkness that pervaded her core she could still feel the intense emotion she felt for the brunette whenever she spoke to her that way and apparently even now, as The Dark One, they were still very much a part of her.

"Why don't you tell me?" Emma countered.

"Stop being an idiot, Emma," Regina said slowly, "You have two options right now as far as I see it," She licked her lips almost unconsciously but instead of answering her, Emma simply smiled as if she finally knew what the brunette was going to say next, "We both know how this should play out but if I'm right... this could be pleasant for us both," She exhaled as a wave of pleasure pulsed through her body and shot straight to her core as different thoughts ran through her mind of exactly what she would like to do with the blonde's lithe body, "You could either do as I bid, come to me and we can do this together or I can make you do it, with this..." she tilted the metal knife so it caught the light and then smiled once more before she continued, "I may have been The Evil Queen once and though you know I have fought to maintain a level of goodness in the recent year, there are still desires and needs that have been left unaddressed for much of it. We both know that I wasn't the only one and we both know that the level of devotion we were getting was not in any way shape or form adequate for either of us. Do you follow me?"

"Why, your Majesty... one would think that you had just propositioned The Dark One," Emma replied silkily very aware of the fact that Regina had given her a choice instead of demanding it, while they had been getting closer in the months before she had claimed the dagger instead of allowing the brunette to ruin her happiness, it was a pleasant surprise to finally realize that all of the pent up frustration of being infatuated with the other woman hadn't gone entirely unnoticed and she smiled again before stalking forward again but this time, picking up Regina's hand and carefully threaded it through her own, "When did you realize?"

"The moment you sacrificed everything for me... again," The brunette sighed at the connection, noticing the small pulse between her fingers as their magic swirled between fingertips, "But more than that, I have had feelings for you for quite some time now," Her face flushed and she felt the heat pool in her cheeks and she inhaled sharply trying to maintain her composure as she confessed, though instead of making her feel vulnerable, the stark revelation seemed to relieve her and she finally lifted her gaze to look directly at the blonde's face.

"What about Robin?" The blonde asked carefully, preparing herself just in case, for what she did not know but she held chocolate orbs steadily and squeezed the warm hand between her own.

"Well, he and Zelena... for lack of better words here..." Regina growled somewhat in frustration at her inability to express her thoughts when the slight caress of pale tips crossed her palm several times sending a shiver up her spine, "Would you stop that for a second?" With a nod the blonde obliged but not before a smirk pulled at the corners of petite pink, "I gave him permission, if he so wished, to create a life with Zelena and his child if he wanted it. I let him go when I realized..." She trailed off quietly, her emotions were very much now clear from behind sepia orbs and she smiled almost shyly at the younger woman, who not quite accustomed to seeing the look on tanned features remained where she stood as Regina stepped forward hesitantly into the blonde's space and leaned closer so their breath warmed each others lips.

Suddenly the blonde pulled back as all her dark thoughts spiraled into one, she remembered reading Belle and Gold's story, the moment she had kissed him and his magic had begun to fade and she hesitated knowing the possibility of cherry stained lips would effect her in the same way.

"Emma," Regina breathed her name out like she was the oxygen that she needed and Emma hesitated as she fought the rabble in her head, trying to separate the darkness to her self and her thoughts, suddenly warm hands were on her cheeks and lifting her head so that there was eye contact, "I've got you," she whispered before leaning in and claiming petite pink before the blonde could protest.

Emma moaned softly as Regina kissed her, her stomach felt like a vortex as all her emotions mixed together and she briefly responded before her survival instinct kicked in and she attempted to disappear in a swirl of black smoke but Regina's command stopped her immediately, the dagger and Regina's will combined encasing her and forcing her to do their bidding.

"Stay," She whispered, though Emma felt no demand this time, just a longing that she had felt for years being returned and felt rather than heard the request, "Please?"

"Regina, I'm not me any more," She answered quietly, she could feel the monster inside attempting to break free of the grip the dagger had on her or more so, that the brunette's hold, like no one else had ever managed to have over her, not even Hook and how she had willingly relinquished everything in her life to save her and allowed the darkness to wrap it's coils around her like a tentacles and could now feel it trying to tighten it's grip on her now as it demanded her to run far, far away.

"Yes, you are," Regina said, resting her forehead on a cold chin, "You are. This darkness within you, I know it's hard but you can fight it. You're one of the strongest people I know and you can come back from this, we will find a way and even if it isn't right now... even if it isn't this year... I'm not going anywhere. We're in this together."

"I don't know if I can, Regina, I like this... darkness," Emma uttered quietly before running pale fingers through dark hair, the brunette sighed and leaned into the touch almost automatically, as if they had been interacting this way for years and this was normal for them, all Emma could think was that it did feel right but she was never allowed to have it.

"I know, it's... all encompassing," Regina exhaled, "But we will find a way to fix this, I know it's enticing and I know how good it feels to actually feel something but if you keep going you will be void of all emotion..."

"Maybe I want that though..."

"No, Emma, no you don't... that is no way to live..." Regina argued and unconsciously she gripped the dagger tighter within her grasp, the metal hand biting into the flesh of her palm.

"Regina, I'm The Dark One now, I'm not a Saviour any more, I'm not even Emma any more, Regina, I'm just..." She frowned and turned around to walk across the other side of the room, away from the other woman and gestured down her own leather clad body, "This."

"You are so much more than that," Regina replied firmly.

"Regina, just let me go..." Emma begged from the other side of the room and she cringed at how broken she sounded.

Regina realized then, that while their kiss hadn't entirely broken any hold the dagger had on the blonde, it had brought remnants of the blonde's human side to the forefront, allowing the darkness to recede while the Emma she knew simmered slightly beneath the surface of emerald orbs and she finally realized exactly how she was going to fix this.

"No, I won't and until we find a way to get you back, you're not going anywhere."