~ 8 Months Later
Storybrooke was not the same town that had stood eight months before. The clock had stopped again, this time because it had a hole in its face. Some parts of the town were burned entirely to the ground, only the fireplaces and other masonry still standing. David was no longer simply the Sheriff of the town, but the head of what most people described as the Night Watch.
That was when they came out, at night. Emma, Hook, and her mysterious new friend, with the gravely voice, Tali. Sometimes they burned, sometimes they drank, and sometimes they weren't out at all. That was when everyone got really worried.
The first night after Emma had become the Dark One she'd set Rumpelstiltskin's shop on fire, Hook laughing at her side. It was only because Regina could transport magically that Rumpelstiltskin and Belle weren't dead. The front of the store was a total loss, and by the next morning Belle had convinced Rumpelstiltskin that they needed to leave town.
The second night was when the new woman, Tali, had shown up, causing destruction and chaos, alongside Emma and Hook. Sometimes it seemed as if she was Emma's teacher in all things darkness, and other times simply egging her on and laughing at the destruction they created.
After that second night. The sixty sixth night of Tali and Emma's was when they set the harbor on fire, and it was also the night that the Apprentice bumped into Robin, who was in quite a hurry.
oOOOOo
Robin slammed into a solid feeling body. He nearly fell before a pair of steadying hands gripped his shoulders. He'd collided with The Apprentice. "Oh- I apologize— Apprentice." Robin shook his head, "That sounds— wrong."
The Apprentice stared at Robin for a moment. He glanced around and then spoke softly, "Please don't tell anyone else, but— if you'd like, you may call me TJ."
"TJ?" The Apprentice nodded, "Alright. Shouldn't you be helping everyone search for Merlin, helping the town stop Emma?"
The Apprentice shook his head, "I have done my part. Now it's up to the others."
Robin stared at The Apprentice for a long minute, then stuck his hand out, "I should go…"
The Apprentice shook Robin's hand, and then didn't let go. "Keep her happy."
Robin pulled away, taking a step back, "Excuse me?"
"She's the most powerful magic wielder in all the realms."
"Zelena?"
"Regina. All she has to do is let herself be."
Robin shook his head, "One of the most powerful, sure, but with the dagger the Dark One would be more powerful than anyone."
The Apprentice shook his head, "Hate and Anger will never be more powerful than Love." The Apprentice paused, "Please, do right by her."
Robin frowned, "Have you been following me… TJ?"
The Apprentice gestured to everyone around them, "This— none of this right now is about you. But, just because you're not the focus right now doesn't mean it will always be that way."
Robin stared at The Apprentice again before shaking his head. "You know what. I'm going to go now. You should either stop your vague insinuations and help us find a way to cure Emma, or leave us alone."
Robin rushed away, leaving The Apprentice standing alone in the park. The bearded man sighed and shook his head.
oOOOOo
For Regina the third night to the two hundred and forty-third night all seemed to bleed into one another. Except for one.
On the ninety-second night Regina got a call from Ruby, she was David's unofficial second in the Night Watch, something was happening on the Jolly Roger.
Regina poofed there, nearly giving Ruby a heart attack.
oOOOOo
"What is it Ruby? I have so much to do tomorrow, not to mention I have no doubt that I'll have another visit from Snow telling me how I'm doing nothing, and why can't I find Merlin, and I should have…"
Ruby put her hand over Regina's mouth, "Shh… look." She pointed at the ship.
It was only Hook and Emma on the deck, and Hook didn't seem happy with her. "No, just— Listen to me Emma— This was fun for awhile, but, now it isn't. You killed that woman. This isn't you, not really, you know that."
Regina tried to ask Ruby who Emma had killed, but Ruby wouldn't move her hand from over Regina's mouth.
Emma threw her arms out to her sides, "Why not. I don't have to deal with anything. I don't like something, I burn it, or kill it. And the Purple Fairy was pissing me off." She smirked and put a hand against his chest, "I thought you liked this side of me pirate."
"It's just…" He shook his head, "You're not the Dark One Emma, Rumpel is, you're… you're better than this."
Emma took a step back and put her arms on her hips, her voice frosty, "Oh, and what are you going to do about it?"
Hook grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her towards him. He kissed her hard, not letting her go when she tried to pull away. Finally Emma got her hands in front of her and pushed him away, causing him to crash into the side of the ship. "What the fuck Hook?"
"I thought…" He stared at Emma, "I thought that true love's kiss would… would cure you. Henry said…"
Emma shook her head, "You're talking to… them. No, that's it. We're done Killian. Leave. NOW. GO!"
Hook jumped to his feet, "What, no, I just…" Before he could move another muscle he disappeared in a poof of smoke.
Emma turned her back towards the shore and stared out at the water. Regina started to stand from where she was crouched, but Ruby put a hand on Regina's shoulder and shook her head. She put a finger to her nose.
A moment later someone came up from down below, it was Tali. "Hook left?"
Emma turned, her arms crossed over her chest, "Don't pretend that you give a damn. What do you want?"
"I'm leaving for a bit. I have something else to do." Tali paused, "You're not going to turn back into the Savior while I'm gone. That would be a shame."
Emma raised her chin, "I'm the Dark One."
Tali clapped Emma on the shoulder. "A suggestion. Kill him. It will free you like you've never been freed before." With that she disappeared. No smoke, no noise, just one moment she was there, the next she wasn't. Emma looked over towards where Regina and Ruby were hiding, didn't seem to see them, and looked out at the sun that had just poked itself above the horizon. With a glance over her shoulder again, she poofed away.
Regina waited until Emma's smoke cleared, and then poofed both she and Ruby away as well. They arrived back at the Sheriff's office a second later, startling David. Regina shook her head, "I have to go check on Henry. The magic protections on the house should hold but…"
David nodded, "You're his mother. Go." She poofed away and David turned to Ruby, "What happened?"
oOOOOo
Regina, pulled herself out of her thoughts, and closed her eyes against the noise that had interrupted one of her better nights of sleep. Robin grumbled from next to her. "Just- just let someone else clean up after her this time Regina. It's been eight months of this. You haven't gotten a full night of sleep in all that time. And we have an ultrasound with Zelena tomorrow, just… She's only doing it to get your attention. To get back her dagger. And one day she will. You'll be so tired you'll give her an opening and she'll take it."
Regina opened her eyes, her gaze going to the dagger in its sheath on the bedside table. She rolled to a sitting position her legs dangling off the side of the bed and ignoring Robin picked up the still ringing cell phone. "Yes?" She listened for a moment as she stood, "I'll be there momentarily Ruby." She stood perfectly still in front of her dresser for a moment.
She jumped a little as Robin put a hand on her shoulder, "Just stay Regina."
Regina took out a pair of jeans, she'd found that wearing slacks while trying to battle the Dark One wasn't a good idea, they tended to get shredded. She missed her slacks. She went to her closet for a top, still not facing Robin. "I can't Robin, this is my town. I literally created it, and, she's… she wouldn't want me to let her destroy it."
Robin took his hand away with a sigh and took a step back. "Where is she rampaging now?"
"Blacksmith's…"
Robin nodded, crossing his arms over his chest, "Right. Nyx's place. I'll…"
Regina finally turned, putting a hand to Robin's chest, "No. It's alright. Stay here with Roland." She threaded the belt with the dagger on it around her waist. Cinching it closed as tightly as it would go. She frowned. She nearly needed to punch another hole in the leather so it would tighten enough. Robin was right about one thing, she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to take on the Dark One's power, her fury. Something was going to give, and soon, if she didn't figure out a way to 'cure' Emma.
Robin put a hand on Regina's arm to make her pause, "If you know she wants the dagger, why take it with you Regina."
Regina gave Robin's hand a pat and moved towards the room's door. "Because if I have it on me then she comes after me, not you and Roland."
With that she left the room. By the time she got to the mansion's front door Henry had joined her, already clad in his winter coat, hat, and gloves. Months ago Regina had tried to convince Henry that he couldn't come along. Needless to say, he'd come along anyway. Henry frowned, "Mom?"
Regina shook her head, grabbing her own winter gear. To add insult to injury it had been an extremely cold Maine autumn and winter so far, "Let's take care of this."
Henry rubbed at his eyes as he nodded.
oOOOOo
The Dark One held a fireball in each hand and and slowly looked around the smithy. "Eight months ago I didn't even know that this could be so damn fun. That I could feel so happy being so evil."
The blacksmith, Nyx, stood to one side, watching, her arms crossed over her chest. She was very tall, taller than Emma, her dark hair went just past her shoulders, although it was pulled back into a ponytail. The other noticeable part of her was her eyes, she had what could only be described as piercing blue eyes. They tracked everything even as she stood still. "You will regret this later."
The Dark One laughed, throwing one of the fireballs. It impacted against the back wall, setting it on fire. She laughed again, throwing the remaining fireball towards Nyx.
Nyx took a calm step to the side and the burning ball of fire missed her. The Dark One narrowed her eyes, shook her head, and then a frown creased The Dark One's face. She took a step towards Nyx, her eyes losing all the white in them, and spoke in a voice that seemed to reverberate through the small space, "Who are you?"
"Excuse me?"
The Dark One tilted her head to one side, "Your name is Nyx. You're the blacksmith. But, I know you. Why do I know you?"
Nyx let her arms drop to her sides. "Well Emma, we've met before, I fixed your Bug. Then took off the boot our Mayor had put on it. Did becoming the Dark One make you an idiot too Emma?"
The Dark One narrowed her eyes, "Ha ha. And, no, Emma does not know you. I… know you." The shook her head and waved her hand towards Nyx, "It's your eyes…" The Dark One took a step back, "What… who the hell are you? Who?"
"I think that all that darkness has gone to your head Swan." Nyx held out a hand, "I'm Nyx, and my eyes are just eyes. I'm as human as you are. I probably have a coupla things around here that could prove I have blood as red as yours."
The Dark One paused, then grabbed a Swiss Army knife off of one of the shelves. She flicked it open and with a quick cut the blood, that was in fact red, flowed from Nyx's arm. "Huh."
Ruby appeared and rushed past Emma, grabbing a rag from the bench, and pressing it against Nyx's arm. "Emma, what the hell?"
"She said I should."
Ruby shot Emma a look, "We need to find a damn cure to that dagger. Because you've never been an asshole before, and now you are."
The Dark One met Ruby's eyes for a moment, and some of the white came back into Emma's eyes. Emma shrugged. "Okay." She glanced at Nyx, "Maybe you're human. But, you're nothing like the rest of us."
Emma left and Ruby sighed, "Sorry about that."
"Oh, you're responsible for The Dark One now?"
"No, I just meant…" Ruby trailed off.
Nyx interrupted Ruby, "I know what you meant. That wasn't Emma. Did you see her eyes go dark. That was entirely the evil that possesses Emma. Emma wasn't speaking, Emma wasn't in control at all." Nyx winced just a bit.
"I don't think it was deep." Ruby held out what seemed like a clean rag.
Nyx took the rag from Ruby, "I won't be killed even if I bleed out. And, I've been crucified, this pain is nothing compared to that."
Ruby stared at Nyx, blinking, "What? Crucified… when, why, how…"
Nyx shook her head, "Doesn't matter. The black eyes. That didn't happen with Gold. I'd wager that it's not a good sign. That somehow Emma's… experience with The Dark One is going to be vastly different than Gold's ever was."
Ruby still looked confused, "And what the hell was Emma babbling on about? You… You look like you've always looked, Italian."
"Greek actually. And… maybe The Dark One sees something else in me?" Nyx grabbed a large fire extinguisher from the ground and with only half a wince hefted it, spraying down the two fires until they went out.
As their last embers went dark Regina jogged into the smithy, Henry still outside, "Sorry, I just…" She sighed. "Nyx, I'm… so, very, very sorry…"
Nyx put back down the extinguisher. "It's just a wall—" she glanced over at Regina, "I set it on fire once myself. So… I'm fine. Go on, my guess is that this won't be her last stop tonight."
Regina let out a slow breath and looked towards the doorway, "Ruby, will you get David. Thank you for calling me by the way…"
"Never thought I'd say this to —you—, but," the younger woman clapped Regina on the shoulder, "We're in this together." Ruby kept speaking in a mumble as she walked away, "Woulda been helluva lot easier if the damn true love's kiss from Hook would have just worked."
Regina was surprised when she heard a chuckle from Nyx at Ruby's comment. "You don't believe in True Love?"
Nyx shook her head, "This town is obsessed with it. I was walking home when the 'true love's kiss' by Hook happened." Nyx paused, "I also noticed you watching."
Regina looked away, "I—"
Nyx studied Regina, "And Henry? What did he think about it when you told him?"
Regina met Nyx's gaze again, "He wants his mother back."
There was what sounded almost like a high pitched scream and Regina took off at a quick walk. Nyx watched her go for a moment, then looked up at her now burned again wall. She rolled her back, the scar that covered it always gave her trouble when heat was introduced, either fire or the heat of summer. She went to the doorway and closed the door to the street. She took a deep breath and concentrated for a moment, and then she was just gone.
oOOOOo
"No, no, no… Emma, what are… No, not the Jolly Roger." David held Hook back as he tried to get to his burning ship.
Emma stood in the middle of the inferno, a mirthless smile on her face. "It's just a boat, and you love me more… right Captain?"
"Emma- stop it."
Emma looked at the bump that the dagger made under Regina's coat. "Make me."
"Fight it Emma. The good in you can win."
Emma poofed off the ship, appearing in front of Regina, in her personal space. She grabbed Regina's waist pulled the brunette to her. She captured Regina's lips with her own, a hand behind Regina's head. At first Regina tried to jerk away, but Emma simply pulled them closer together, her eyes darkening, but not turning entirely black. Regina wasn't sure if it was the Dark One's power, or something else, but she felt herself falling into the kiss, and returning it.
Regina was physically yanked backwards by Ruby who then practically yelled at Emma, "Stop it. STOP IT."
Emma looked from Ruby to Regina and back to Ruby. "I'm done playing. The rest of the town was a delightful warm up. But now, I'm more powerful than ever. The mansion is next," and then disappeared again.
Henry gasped, "Mom."
Regina put two fingers against her lips, then let them drop as she cleared her throat, "She won't Henry. She can't. I've put wards against it. Wards that…" Regina paused, pushing aside her coat, she put a hand against the dagger's hilt, "…without the dagger she cannot break."
Henry let out a breath, "Right, right, I know, but I… I worry about Roland." He studied Regina for a moment, "Mom, why did she kiss you?"
Regina paused, then shook her head, "I have no idea Henry."
"Will she… will she try something else tonight?"
Regina put a hand over Henry's shoulders. "I think… I think she's done for tonight. Let's go home okay? Tomorrow's another day."
"Mom… it's been 8 months, do you think we won't…"
Regina cut him off, "We're going to find a way. Everyday Lily, Mal, and I, we're scouring everything we can. Ruby's helping too. We will find a solution."
oOOOOo
Emma appeared in the back of Rumpelstiltskin's former shop. Months before she'd destroyed it. Then she'd realized that if she magically repaired the inside and kept the outside looking as though it was a burned out hulk it would be the perfect place to hide from everyone.
Emma just didn't understand it. Rumpelstiltskin had never been this angry when he'd held the dark energies in himself. Emma had told Hook and everyone that she was happier than she'd ever been. That was a lie. She was angry, always in a rage, and no matter what she did it wouldn't abate. Sometimes she even blacked out entirely. THose were the most terrifying times. Not knowing what she'd done.
Of course, maybe Rumpelstiltskin had just learned to deal with it. After all he had been The Dark One for centuries. It wasn't like she could ask him either way. He was no longer in Storybrooke either. He and Belle had crossed the town line months ago, running so that Rumpelstiltskin would never again have the Dark One's power's inside of him.
Emma conjured a fireball and threw it at the fire place. She screamed. Nothing helped.
oOOOOo
Regina sat in the living room and stared straight ahead. Thinking. It wasn't the first time that she'd sat staring into space and probably wouldn't be the last. At some point in the last eight months it had actually turned into her nightly ritual. She'd make herself, Robin, Roland, and Henry dinner. Sometimes David, Snow, and Little Neal would show up uninvited too, but usually it was just the four of them.
After dinner Robin would usually go out, meeting his Merry Men in town or in the forest. Sometimes all four would stay in and watch a movie that Roland generally got to choose. She knew every line of Despicable Me and was quickly picking them up from Cars too.
There was also the time that Henry suggested card games and Regina had beaten the other three at every game they'd tried. She'd even kept winning after Roland had gone to bed and she'd taught Henry poker. They had both put aside the rest of the world for those hours. Laughing and joking like their lives weren't being destroyed.
That was if Robin was present though. If Robin wasn't there, Regina would put Roland to bed, Henry would retreat to his room, and Regina would fall into a fitful sleep. Then, she'd be woken up by a phone call from David, Ruby, Snow, or someone else in town. Sometimes Robin would be back and would remind her that it wasn't all her problem, but she - and sometimes Henry - would go, and either directly confront Emma or try to fix whatever Emma had destroyed. Then, she'd come home and sit in her living room perfectly still, staring straight ahead.
Once Henry had come down for a glass of water and found her like that. She'd told him that she was okay, that he'd just caught her thinking too hard. They'd laughed and hugged, but Regina had lied to her son. She wasn't sure exactly why she sat alone and still in the middle of the night instead of doing something productive or going back to sleep up with Robin.
She was almost ready to go up to bed, after all she and Robin were slated to see the doctor with Zelena for an ultrasound in the morning, she should probably not go into that dead tired. She'd have to be in top shape, especially mentally to go up against Zelena. Instead all night she'd been trying to figure out why Emma would kiss her out of the blue and coming up with no rational explanations at all. Both she and the house were perfectly silent when she felt the ripple of magic. The feeling had come from the kitchen and Regina was up and in her favorite room of the house in the time it took her heart to skip a beat.
She frowned. It didn't look like anything was missing. Her eyes slowly surveyed the room until they got to the external speaker where her iPod Nano usually sat. The iPod was gone. She knew that it had been there during the preparation of dinner because she and Roland had danced to a couple of his favorite kids songs.
With Rumpelstiltskin no longer in town, and Zelena's magic shackled with the enchanted black cuff so that she wouldn't hurt the baby, there weren't too many people who could have magicked it away. The fairies wouldn't have stolen from her. It could have been Tinkerbell playing some sort of trick, however, Regina doubted it. That left one person in town with the power to do it.
Regina considered her options. She could simply go upstairs, go to bed. It was only an iPod. Or she could confront the culprit, confront Emma. Maybe even put a plan that she'd been halfway formulating for a few months into play.
Regina took out her Blackberry and sent Henry a text that he would hopefully get tomorrow morning. 'Going Out. Keep an eye on Roland. Walk him to school tomorrow please. L,M'.
oOOOOo
"Miss Swan."
Emma looked up from the chair she sat in. The music playing so loudly that Emma had barely heard Regina come in. The iPod was magically playing at a very loud volume without the aid of external speakers. It was tuned to the radio, and playing something about 'paying no mind to the demons' and that 'if you get lost, you can always be found'. Emma raised a hand as Regina came around the wall and into the back area. After a moment of it hovering there, no fire or energy materializing in it, she shrugged and dropped it. "Parents would be pissed now if I killed you. Before, I probably would have gotten back into their graces, but now… Why are you here? Gonna finally kill me?"
Regina stood with her hands on her hips, "You stole my iPod."
Emma shrugged, "So, take it back."
Regina waved her hand and the iPod vanished. "Why did you want me here?"
"Want you here, why would I want you here? All you do is stop me. Every time I try to have a little fun…" The blonde's gaze went to the dagger at Regina's side, then back to Regina's face. "I'm more powerful now you know, I could take it off you."
"Okay."
A fireball shot towards Regina before she could blink or move. She threw her hand up, deflecting it out into the front part of the shop. It made a horrendous crash. Emma sprang from her sitting position, grabbing Regina by the arm, and Regina took that contact as a way to change the scenery, poofing them both out of the shop and into the middle of Main Street.
Emma shoved herself away from Regina, circling her like they were in a boxing ring, "What, you think I don't know a set up when I see one. You're… trying to go… undercover. I kissed you, and so you saw your opening. You think that the kiss meant something, and so now you'll pretend like you're back to being dark and evil. Then you'll watch me, not let me go too far off the deep end. Report back to my parents, get goodie two shoe points. Hook tried that, sucked at it."
"I'm not Hook." Regina tilted her head, "And you don't seem so evil to me Emma, you just used the words goodie two shoes. I'm shaking in my boots."
Emma threw her hands out, blowing Regina backwards and through the window of the abandoned Any Given Sundae store. She wound up against the counter and winced, but slowly stood as Emma climbed through the broken window. "So? Is fighting back against the ru-" the rest of the word came out as more of an 'urk' as Regina grabbed Emma around the throat.
"You think because you've gained a little more power that you can beat me? Never little Em. You're nothing but a shadow of The Dark One."
Emma choked out, "'till don believe you."
Regina waved her free hand and they disappeared in a poof of purple smoke again. They reappeared in front of the mansion and Regina threw Emma towards the middle of Mifflin Street. Emma rolled to a stop and was standing a second later. She started to go after Regina again, but stopped when she saw where they were. An evil smirk came to her face, and her eyes went black, "Are we going to fry the old bearded one?"
Regina created a fireball and held it in her hand for a moment, with a flick of her wrist she threw it, but not at the house. It broke through the Benz's back window, lighting the entire interior on fire. Emma did a double take, the darkness in her eyes fading just a bit. "You love that car, somethin' about how it drives or the seats, or…"
The fire got to all four tires at the exact time and the explosion of them all was so loud that even Emma jumped, then laughed. She threw her head back and laughed, throwing an arm around Regina as another car's alarm started going off because of the force of the explosion. "We'd better go before David arrives."
"Where?"
Emma stared at Regina in silence. thought for a second, "I know the place." She shook her head, "You blew up your car. Ready for more?" Regina gave a short nod, and with that it was Emma's turn to transport both of them away.
