A/N. Wow, two updates in one day! Thanks for all the reviews and favourites and follows, they really encourage me! Promise the next few chapters will be longer—I just have to set a base for this story :) Also, in this story, the Sorcerer's Apprentice is alive (they don't explicitly tell you if he lived or died in the season finale)

Disclaimer: If I owned OUAT, I would definitely not be writing fanfiction...

Chapter 2

REGINA POV

"Belle!" called Regina as she entered the dank shop. "Belle!"

The pretty brunette hurried to the front as she heard her name, staring questioningly at their grim faces. "What happened?" she asked, scanning the crowd situated in front of her. "Where's Emma?"

Regina replied before anyone else could. "She sacrificed herself," she said, her jaw set. "Emma was taken by the darkness." She held up the dagger so Belle could clearly see the name carved upon it. She didn't bother waiting for the girl's shocked expression to subside and ploughed on. "We need the sorcerer's apprentice."

"Of-of course," stammered Belle, clearly still stunned by the recent events. Regina herself still hadn't gotten over the shock. Emma had sacrificed herself. For her. Why would she do that? Why would anyone do that? All her life Regina had gotten used to being alone and facing the brunt of her problems on her own. Now she had people who actually cared about her. Cared enough to save her. Emma had helped her find her happiness and she was going to do the same for her.

Belle led them to the back room where she had given the old man a place to relax after nearly being killed by the dark tendrils of magic that had emerged from the hat. He looked up in surprise as the six adults entered the room, clearly not expecting any visitors this early.

"How can I help you?" he asked as Belle aided him in sitting up. Regina saw the bags under the old man's eyes and realized that the darkness had taken a bigger toll on him than he had let on.

"Emma's gone," said the pirate before anyone else could speak. She showed the apprentice the dagger with her friend's name. Surprisingly, he didn't seem too shaken. It was almost as if he had seen it coming.

"How do we get her back, Sorcerer?" asked David rather aggressively. Regina saw how much he cared for his daughter in his eyes. She saw how much they all cared for Emma.

"Oh, I am far from the Sorcerer," he chuckled. "I am merely his apprentice. You may call me Der. My name—Der Zauberlehrling." His eyes scanned the crowd in front of him briefly, his eyes stopping to rest on Regina. "As for getting her back, well, the answer is quite simple. Summon her. If anything will get her back, that will." His eyes lowered to the dagger she held in her hands. "However, I cannot guarantee it will work. Or if she will be the same person anymore."

Regina exchanged glances with the rest of her accompaniment. Summoning Emma with the dagger would bring her back, but the darkness would still be inside of her. She could destroy the town if not on a leash. She could hurt Henry. She wouldn't risk Emma coming back to them if it meant she would hurt her son. But Emma was her friend. She sacrificed herself for Regina. She gulped and lifted the dagger from her side, then surprised herself by giving it to Hook.

"Summon her," she commanded.

Hook gulped as the others looked on, holding the dagger close to his heart. "D-dark One," he began, his voice gaining power as he continued, "I summon thee."

The dagger glowed white and Regina shielded her eyes momentarily, expecting Emma to appear in front of them any moment. She lifted her hand just in time to see the light on the dagger flicker out and die. Hook looked confused for only a moment before shooting an accusing glare at the apprentice.

"You said it would work!" he shouted. "You said she would come back!"

The old man seemed to be deep in thought, his eyebrows furrowing inward. "There is only one explanation for her not being able to come, well, the other explanation being she is dead."

The pirate's temper flared again and he pinned the man to the wall. "Tell me why," he snarled through gritted teeth, enunciating each word carefully, as if he wanted to be sure the message would get through.

Regina pulled him back as she saw the old man struggling to breath. As Hooks extra appendage parted from his neck, Der collapsed on the bed, massaging his throat. "Calm down," she hissed at the angry man beside her. "We aren't going to get any information if you keep letting your temper get the best of you."

Her expression softened as she saw the hopelessness in the pirate's eyes. "Don't worry," she whispered, quiet enough to keep the others from hearing. "She's fine. Emma is tough." What she said was true. Regina was sure Emma was alive.

Regina turned to glare at the apprentice once more. "Well, what is this other explanation?" she snapped.

The bearded man didn't seem to mind her angry tone—in fact, it seemed to amuse him. "She is in another realm. Even the Dark One doesn't have the power to travel across realms. Miss Swan couldn't come here even if she tried."

"So she's in the Enchanted Forest?" asked Mary Margaret, speaking for the first time since they had arrived at the shop. "Or Neverland?"

Regina gritted her teeth. She had a guess to Emma's whereabouts, but she didn't want to voice her thoughts just yet. Not until she was proven right. She hoped to god she wasn't right. Going back there again...she would much rather travel to the Enchanted Forest.

"Not quite," answered Der softly. "The darkness has, let's say, something of an 'instinct'. It automatically goes back to where this whole thing started, taking the one it possesses along with it. To the land where it all began—the birthplace of the man who created the Dark One.

Regina didn't dare breath as she registered the information. Her fears were proven right. Emma was in that dreaded place—the place she had promised herself never to go back to. "The sorcerer," she hissed quietly, "Merlin."

Mary Margaret turned to face Regina. "Merlin? So that would mean Emma's in—"

"Camelot," interrupted Regina. "We're going to Camelot."

EMMA POV

Emma groaned as she attempted to stand up, clutching her head to lessen the stabbing pains. What had happened? She remembered thrusting the dagger into the air...and then darkness. And Hook. Oh god,Killian. She had told him that she loved him. Did he love her? She knew somewhere inside of her that he did, but her mind would accept it until she heard him say the words too. And now he may never get the chance, said a small voice inside of her head. You took away his happy ending by sacrificing yourself. He's lost two loves now and it's all your fault.

She shook her head as if it would make the voice go away. She had felt the darkness enter her. It had seeped into her mind, her body, her heart. She would not let it take her over. She would not let the darkness win. Rumpelstiltskin may have given in, but she would fight it. She would get back to her parents, her son, her pirate.

First, Emma had to figure out where she was. It looked to be similar to the Enchanted Forest, but she couldn't be sure. She seemed to be near the edge of a forest. Emma stumbled a little, and then steadied her pace as she trudged forward. Her first goal was to get out of the forest, maybe find some human company—or at least figure out where in the world she was.

She could see light peeking through the trees and pushed herself forward, determined to get out of the forest. She emerged only a short while later, her jaw dropping as she gazed at the sight in front of her.

It was a castle. A huge castle—bigger than the one she had seen when she had gone to the Enchanted Forest with her mother. She could see the flag billowing in the wind: a giant cloth of blue embroidered with an insignia of a roaring lion. A silhouette of a dragon was placed against a background of red on a second flag next to the first one. Where was she?

Emma didn't have the chance to take another step forward before she felt the point of something sharp pressing into her back. "Don't move," growled a deep voice.

She gulped softly. She needed to talk her way out of this—then she could get some information. If it came to a fight, she was prepared to use her magic. "State your name and purpose," hissed the man behind her.

"Emma Swan," she said smoothly. "As for my purpose...well, I just want to go back home." She decided telling the truth would be better than telling a lie and getting into trouble for it later. "Can you tell me where I am?"

"Camelot is where you are," he snarled. "And you are coming with us to see the king."

Hope you liked this chapter—next chapter we'll see Henry's reaction and maybe a glimpse of what's going on in Camelot!