Emma woke alone.
It took her a moment to realize it. She blinked slowly. then sat up, her hand reaching to brush over the empty spot on the bed next to her.
Where was Killian?
That troubling thought was momentarily eclipsed by the sure smell of...smoke? Not strong enough to indicate flame nearby, but the undeniable smell of wood and electrical fire. She jammed her legs into her pants and boots, throwing a large cable-knit sweater over her head. The room was shrouded in darkness, and when she flipped the light switch, nothing happened.
"Killian!" She stayed silent a moment, listening, and groped her way toward the bathroom, calling his name again, but still nothing.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked aloud as she felt her way through the darkness to the door. After putting a hand against it and finding it cool to the touch, she stepped out into the hallway. A slight grayness tinged the air, and the lingering smell of smoke and burning wiring seemed stronger - though still not overwhelming.
She strode down the hall toward the diner area of Granny's and when she stepped into the restaurant, all conversation ceased at once, and half a dozen heads turned in unison. It was daylight outside - from the looks of it somewhere after sunrise, and there were candles lit in various places around the restaurant.
"What the hell is wrong with everyone?" she asked. "What's going on?"
Red stepped cautiously out from behind the counter, her eyes red and swollen. Her chin was trembling and she took a deep breath before addressing Emma.
"What do you need?" she asked in a very unfriendly tone. "Haven't you taken enough?"
Emma's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What? I'm looking for Killian. Have you seen him?"
"Hook?" Red swallowed hard. "No...no none of us have seen him. Or spoken with him. Or about him," she reassured. "We don't ever talk about him."
"O...kay," Emma said carefully. She looked around at the scorched wall behind Red. "Did you have an electrical fire?" she asked, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "There's no power back there."
"I'll get someone on it," Red promised. "Right away."
"Take your time," Emma said. "I just want to make sure everyone's safe."
"Safe?" Red clapped a hand over her mouth, as if to keep the belligerent word locked away but it burst free anyway.
"What the hell is going on?" Emma asked again, completely exasperated. "I wake up and the place is practically burning around me, there's no sign of Killian and you're all acting strange!" She narrowed her eyes. "Now somebody had better clue me in because I'm getting good and pissed."
She raised a hand to gesture her frustration, and all the candles in the room went out simultaneously. A woman in the corner shrieked, cowering over her child and everyone kept their fearful eyes on Emma, who was staring in horror at her own hand.
At her own glittering hand.
She moved toward the window, openmouthed, and lifted her hand into a patch of sunlight. The rays skittered and danced off her skin, and her nails were longer, talon-like. She turned to look at all the frightened people, their reverential deference rolling over her, their fear feeding her, and she could feel the power growing greedily, sparking and spreading through her veins.
Her eyes fell on Red, who lifted a defiant chin and stared back.
Yes, Emma thought. That's right. I killed the old woman. She dared to challenge me and with a snap of my fingers, I stopped her heart. I was going to turn this place to ash but I thought it was better to leave it as a lesson.
"One of you is going to tell me where to find Killian," she said. "And it had better be quick."
They all looked helplessly from one to another, clearly terrified, and Red stepped closer, putting herself between Emma and the crowd.
"Nobody knows," she said firmly. "He sailed away as soon as you turned. We've told you that."
"Then be a good little dog and track him down," Emma said with a sugary-sweet smile. "I want him here within the hour."
"But -"
"How big do you think this town is?" Emma asked. "One hour. Or I start whittling down your clientele."
"Yes, your dark majesty," Red said, with a bobbing curtsey.
"I like the sound of that," Emma said with deep satisfaction. "Storybrooke is in need of a monarch. You people are morons who should never have been left to their own devices."
She slammed the door shut just as Red was trying to leave, stopping her momentarily. Red turned back with wary eyes.
"Yes?" she asked carefully.
Emma raised her brows. "Donuts?"
Red pointed to a glass covered dome. "On the counter," she said. "Help yourself."
"That's better," Emma smiled, waving a hand and opening the door just as Regina was reaching for the knob from the other side.
"Well," Regina said, recovering from her surprise. "That's a new definition of service."
Red ran past her down the steps and Regina watched her go, turning back and stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of Emma.
"What happened to you?" she asked, her eyes wide.
Emma stuffed a donut in her mouth, trailing her fingers along the countertop as she sauntered over to Regina.
"What happened?" Emma laughed. "You were there."
"Emma...?"
"You were there to watch me do what you didn't have the balls to do. You play at being dark but deep inside, the darkness frightens you. You're afraid to give into it. Afraid to lose yourself to it. But that's the only way to embrace it and use it to its full potential. You have to surrender to it. You have to let it in."
She leaned in a hairsbreadth from Regina, their lips nearly touching. Regina stared into Emma's unnaturally dark eyes, and tears began to form.
"I thought the curse had been broken," she whispered.
"And I wanted you to think that," Emma said slyly. "I wanted you all to think that. It took a little while for me to come fully into my powers, but they're here now, and I know who and what I am."
"Emma, it's not too late. We can help you," Regina wet her lips nervously, stepping back. "Let's go down to my vault - perhaps in the spell book..."
Emma's hand lashed out, grabbing Regina's wrist and pulling her in. "I'm going to give you a little word of advice," she said silkily. "Just between us girls." Her voice hardened and she threw Regina's arm back at her.
"Stay out of my way."
She turned on her heel and strode back toward the room, catching sight of herself in the large mirror hung in the hallway.
She was darkness. A born temptress - her hair falling around her, shading her glittering skin. Her eyes were midnight, beneath darkened lashes and brows, her cheekbones sharper, her lips a blood red. She felt her power gather in her palms, rising hungrily within her, determined to break free. She imagined herself when she finally found him - and she would find him. No one ran from her, and no one turned his back on what she had to offer. She would have vengeance and she would have him, and he would be made to pay.
She pictured herself astride him, powerful and frightening, the terror in his eyes and she took him and drained him and left him nothing but a husk, an empty shell. She'd take it all and leave a void and fill it with still more darkness.
With a wave of her hand, the mirror shattered into a thousand pieces, and she heard Regina's voice calling her name. She turned her head.
"Goodbye, Regina," she said, smiling wider as she waved a hand, and the fire danced before her eyes. Regina's screams cut the air, and Emma drank them in thirstily, and she laughed with the feel of it all .
###
Regina opened her eyes, realizing that another morsel had been placed in her mouth.
"Mmmm," she said appreciatively. "I like this one."
"Shall I tell the cooks to serve these at the ball, then?" Graham asked. "Or would you like to sample a few more?"
"More," Regina said. "And tell them to close that window." She raised an imperious hand. "I can barely hear myself think over the noise of the peasants."
Graham shot her a dark look, but rose to do her bidding. He was just about to close the window when an arrow sailed through it, embedding between the stones on the floor.
Regina was on her feet in an instant, flicking her hand and emerging in the center of the group below in a cloud of purple smoke.
"Who fired that arrow!" she demanded. "Who dared to fire upon their queen?"
She stared them down and they turned almost in unison, stepping back to create a pathway to the man holding the bow.
"Regina!" Robin's eyes lit up with delight. "Thank God. I've been searching -"
"Who are you?" She snapped. "And how dare you address me in such a familiar manner?"
"Regina?" he looked at her strangely.
"One more time," she said, "And I turn you into a slug." She lifted a hand, then ruined the threat by using it to discreetly cover a burp. She rubbed her stomach. "That meat pie isn't sitting well," she grumbled.
"What is going on?" Robin asked. "One moment we're in bed together-"
"I beg your pardon?" Regina's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Just who do you think you are?" She turned as Graham came rushing out of the castle door to her side. "Take this...brigand...to the dungeon. And bring me what's left of the cake." She leaned in. "In bed."
Now it was Robin's turn to be outraged. "Who the hell is he?"
Regina shook her head at his raw audacity. "He's my huntsman," she said. "And I am your queen. You need to learn some respect." She reached in the pocket of her voluminous skirt and pulled out a half-eaten pastry, stuffing it in her mouth. "Your behavior has put me off my dinner," she complained.
"Regina, this isn't like you," Robin pleaded. "I don't know how we came to be here, but these people are starving. You can't be so cold-hearted."
"And who are you to discuss my heart?" she demanded imperiously.
Robin stepped closer, giving Graham an unfriendly look as Graham pulled a dagger.
"I'm the man who holds that heart," he said simply, lifting his hand as if to touch her face. Regina's eyes tracked the hand, and she flinched away, only to grab his wrist, flipping it over.
"That tattoo..." she said, and her eyes went wide. "You're..."
"The man Tinkerbell told you about," he finished. "And just a few days ago, we were in Storybrooke. Together."
"Storybrooke," Regina chewed the word over thoughtfully. "Yes...I was -" her startled eyes flew to meet his. "We were in Storybrooke. And then Emma was..." She struggled to remember the faintest wisp of a memory.
"That's right," Robin said, grasping her shoulders firmly. "Regina, you remember!"
"Robin!" Her face lit up with realization, but it was too late. Graham had already thrown the knife, defending his queen when he saw Robin grab her. Robin made a gurgling sound, slipping to the ground, and Regina fell with him, the pastry dropping from her fingers as the peasants rushed in, shouting and pulling at her. Then everything went black.
###
Aurora stood in the center of Granny's holding baby Neal.
"And you're saying they're just...gone?" Leroy asked again.
"Gone." Aurora shook her head. "I came over to pick up Neal - Snow had asked me to watch him for a while this morning while she got some errands done. When I showed up, the door was open and they were nowhere to be found."
Granny shook her head. "Regina's not answering her phone. And the Merry Men say they haven't seen Robin since last night."
"Is the boy safe?" Aurora asked.
"Roland is with Little John," Red replied. "He hasn't heard from his father, either."
"I'll send Walter and Stan over to Regina's house," Leroy said. They all turned as the door opened, and a breathless Belle walked in.
"Killian's ship is empty," she panted. "And no one in town has seen any of them. They're all missing. Snow, David, Emma, Hook, Regina, Robin...and Henry."
"Who could kidnap seven people from three different locations in a town this size?" Leroy asked. "And why?"
"I don't know," Belle said. "But this doesn't feel right. There's more at work here. This feels like...magic."
"Who would want all of them gone?" Aurora asked.
They all looked at each other in puzzlement, and with more than a little foreboding.
And at the end of the counter, Lily stirred her coffee, a small smile playing about her lips.