Chapter 2- A dance with the dark one

"What do you want me to do?" Red asks wide eyed as she glances around Gold's shop. We couldn't think of where he could have possibly gone to. Maleficent and Lilly searched his cabin; no luck. Regina's locator spell was blocked. Our last option is hoping that Red can pick up his scent. I hand her Gold's scarf and she inhales deeply; wrinkling her nose slightly.
"Just do your best" I mumble; my optimism has dissipated a lot within the last few hours. People are looking to me for answers and I don't know what to tell them. They want me to be the saviour, they want me to help them. But I don't know how. All I can do is hunt for Gold and hope we find him in time. I haven't even thought about the consequences if we don't, or if we're too late by the time we actually find him. Henry wants to help; he always wants to help. But it's too dangerous for him, he went back home to Mary-Margaret, who too wants to help, but with Neal needing round the clock attention she can't get out since everyone is too panicked to really look after a baby.

"Hey, relax Swan, we'll find him" Killian says quietly, low enough so only I can hear, as if it's some sort of secret. I can feel his breath on my neck, he's much closer than I thought. I put my arms around him and bury my face into his shoulder. I don't like seeming weak; but sometimes he gives me strength. The smell of grass and soap fills my nose, I can't help but smile, not that I could ever let anyone know that.

"I've got a scent!" Red shouts from the street outside, interrupting the moment between Killian and I. We run outside without a word and find Red standing at the crossroads. She turns right and we follow closely behind her. Walking through the town now I release just how much of it I haven't noticed. It's like I've been walking around with blinkers on since I arrived. I put on a brave face. Not showing how scared I actually am. What would Gold want the Author to write? I know he wants his happy ending, how doesn't? But at what cost will he achieve that? An irritation flares in my chest for Regina, she cut Lily's hand containing my darkness, she put it into the ink giving it what it needed to be magical again. Any why? Because Regina wanted her happy ending. She wanted to make Zelena disappear so she could live happily ever after with Robin. I don't blame her for wanting her happy ending, I just hate how she did it and then choosing not to go through with it. Something inside of her clicked that day. She's been so concerned about the unborn child; she's even taken to giving Zelena luxuries in her padded cell to relieve stress so it doesn't affect the baby. I wonder if she's planning on taking the baby on as her own, but will Zelena allow that? I can feel Killian watching me. But I can't let myself be distracted.

Red follows the trail to the docks and to one of the old warehouses. She reaches out the open the door but David stops her, thinking it might be spelled. Good thinking. He tosses a handful of grass at the building; it's quieter than a pebble and if Gold is inside, we don't want to warn him, if he doesn't already know. The building isn't protected; I gesture for Red to go back to Granny's, I don't want her getting caught in the crossfire. I reach out for the handle; but the door opens quickly on its own. Slowly, we make our way inside the building. I can feel my heart thumping rapidly in my chest. I have my gun up; David and Killian have their swords to hand and Regina has a fireball in each hand and a look of distain. The place seems completely empty, but I can feel Gold's energy. It's different than before, it feels off. Not that Gold's energy has ever felt normal before, but this is worse somehow, darker, what could possibly be darker than the dark one himself?

None of us has said a word. We're trying to listen for him; some sign that he's here with the Author. A floorboard creeks from the higher level. Regina and I exchange a knowing glance.

"You two need to get out of here" I whisper as quietly as I can; David and Killian look confused and Killian sets his jaw stubbornly.

"You're joking Swan" he mutters; I knew he'd protest against it, but I can't have him or David getting hurt. The energy in here feels far too menacing to just be the dark one, something else is in play here and the only ones who are likely to be able to do anything about it is Regina and me, apart from Maleficent but she said she was done helping when Lily passed out after breaking the protection spell on Gold's shop.

"Yeah, we're not going anywhere" David adds; Regina rolls her eyes and goes to flick her wrist, but I stop her, I won't allow her to freeze them in place. She sighs heavily and continues toward the stairs. Another floorboard creeks. The atmosphere is cold and quiet; tense. This is not like Gold, usually he would show himself, which only leads me to think that he isn't actually here; but Red's nose has never been wrong before. A high pitched laugh sounds from the rafters; I crane my neck back to look but whatever it is has vanished. A barrel falls over at the far end of the room; Regina's getting increasingly impatient and lets off one of her fireballs toward the back wall. Another laugh sounds as the fire hits the barrel but merely sends it rolling away.

"Get out here Gold!" she shouts; another laugh. He's playing with us.

"Why should I do that dearie?" his high pitched voice sounds from all angles in the room. We stand back to back, if he comes at us we have every side covered. The voice isn't his normal voice, it's much higher, I've heard it before; when Killian and I went back in time and met Rumpelstiltskin as the dark one, with his skin covered in scales like a lizard; has he somehow gone back to that form?

"To prove you're not a coward maybe?" Killian says with a bitter edge in his voice; if anyone is likely to provoke Gold into showing himself, it's him. Another laugh; he laughs way too much, it's very annoying.

"If only I cared enough" he replies in a lower voice which sounds more like himself, but I don't like the seriousness in his tone. A purple haze appears in front of us and out of it walks Gold; wearing his old clothes from his dark one days in the past. He stands with his hands behind his back and a smug smile on his face. His skin is not reptile like as I expected; he looks almost normal.

"Clearly enough to show yourself now" Regina smirks; he turns his head slowly to glare at her through narrowed eyes.

"Why have you come?" he asks quietly; this is not like Gold.

"Isn't it obvious?" I answer as I point my gun toward him; he smiles a wide toothy smile and laughs.

"Oh you can't hurt me with that dearie" he grins while wagging his finger at me.

"You wanna see about that?" I retort and he laughs. It's unnerving how often he's laughing; either he's very confident or very stupid.

"How did you do that spell?" Regina asks out of nowhere

"I don't think that's the most of your worries, do you?" he smirks

"What is then?" she asks slowly, lowering her hands as if in surrender. Gold starts walking then, just pacing slowly back and forth over and over again.

"You should be worrying about where your saviour has vanished to" he grins menacingly and in that exact moment; I'm surrounded by a puff of smoke and the next moment I'm back in Gold's shop. I aim for Gold and my finger curls around the trigger; I squeeze, the gun jolts back but I'm ready for it. The bullet finds its way into Gold's shoulder; hot pain flashes through my arm. I cry out and Gold laughs. My gun crashes to the ground and Gold scoops it up in one swift motion. Blood starts trickling down my arm; I pull my hand away from the wound covered in crimson.

"What did you do?" I shout in a shaky voice as my knees give out beneath me and I crumple to the wooden floor in a heap. The impact with the ground sends fire rippling through my arm and chest and I grit my teeth together to stop myself from screaming.

"I merely used a linking spell; you are now linked to me, any harm that anyone inflicts on me, will go through to you, clever eh?" he giggles; I never thought I would ever hear a man giggle.

"Why?" I gasp through my clenched jaw as I kneel there on the ground holding my shoulder.

"Well isn't it obvious?" he laughs

"No, I mean why haven't you used the Author to give you what you want?" I reply shakily

"Oh that, well, since you're stuck with me I may as well tell you, as I've had time to think about it, I realise that simply wanting a happy ending is a little…short sighted shall we say" he replies making ridiculous hand movements

"So what do you really want?"

"Well, I've already had him heal me of my black heart, the problem is now I'm not entirely consumed by darkness, I feel strange, I feel regret all of a sudden and I don't much like it" he explains slowly as he sits down on that raggedy old bed of his and crosses his legs, sitting tall with his head held high like, he reminds me of Regina.

"Not growing a conscious are you Gold?" I say with a small smile

"No. You see I can make that Author write anything I want, hell, I can make myself the Author if I wanted to; the truth is I don't particularly want to be the dark one anymore" he says; his tone suddenly serious.

"You'll die, not that I'm complaining mind you" I stammer as I struggle to my feet.

"Not if the Author makes me immortal"

"And your power?"

"I will be stronger than ever" he smirks

"So really it's not about being the dark one or not, you just don't want to be controlled by a dagger" I predict, his smile tells me I'm right. I wave my hand over my wound to cast a healing spell; but I can't feel my magic in my veins anymore. He's taken my magic? How? He shouldn't be able to do that.

"Something wrong dearie?" he giggles

"What have you done?" I growl through gritted teeth

"Oh yes, that. Well since we are now linked I figured it be best you don't have use of your magic, don't worry it's not gone permanently, check your wrist" he replies; I look down to see the black leather cuff wrapped around my arm. I don't even try to get it off because I know it's useless.

Kilian isn't going to stop coming after Gold until I'm back with him; that's what Gold's counting on. He wants Killian to try to kill him; because that would mean that he'd kill me, or close enough to it. And then Killian would never forgive himself which could cause him to go off the rails and back into his old ways. This is what Gold wants; chaos.