The wind is deafening. It blocks out the pleas of her loved ones as she inches closer and closer to the darkness that's consuming Regina. She just got her life back, the one she was meant to live, and it's being taken again. Except this time, it's her choice. And she hates that fact. She thinks of any other possible solution, and comes up empty. She has to do this; it's what she was destined for. Damn destiny.
She has to do this. For Henry, for Storybrooke , for herself. How ironic.. to prove to herself that she won't succumb to her inner darkness, that's exactly what she has to do. After all, the savior doesn't sacrifice others. The savior sacrifices them self.
She's inches away from the swarm of darkness when a single voice cuts through the screeching of the wind.
"Emma! Emma PLEASE!"
She turns to Killian running toward her, despair evident in his eyes. He pleads with her then.
"No.. Don't do this.."
She wants nothing more than to agree. To fall into his arms and take comfort in his strong embrace. But she can't. She wants a life with him. A cottage by the shore with plenty of space for them, Henry, and any other additions to their odd little family. She wants to live happily ever after with the man she now knows she can't live without. She loves him, more than she ever thought she could love a person, and if she can't give him a future.. She at least has to give him the truth.
"I love you."
She can physically see the second his heart breaks through his eyes. Tears are streaming down his face as well as hers, and the pain she feels in her chest is suffocating. She can't hear him say it back. She'll crumble. So she leans toward him; closes her eyes and tries to remember exactly what it feels like to hold his hand, and pushes him away. He screams just as she holds up the dagger, and a million volts of energy whiz through her arm. The dark energy flows through her veins, searing them with the mark of evil as it goes. She's not sure what is more excruciating, the darkness consuming every fiber of her being, or seeing the faces of those she loves twisted in utter horror. She chokes out a sob as the last of it reaches her heart. Things move in slow motion at that point. Her eyes are scrunched closed in agony, but she has to give herself one last luxury. So she gathers what little strength she has left, and opens her eyes, meeting Killian's tearful gaze. She tries to convey all she feels through her eyes, but she can't. She's leaving, she can feel it. She tries to study him, his face and every handsome feature. She gives him one last gaze, and that's it. Darkness.