"Running never made anyone a hero!" Belle shouted. Rumple limped after her, pleading with her to stop.

Emma smirked when she heard Belle's first words upon leaving the car. Standing your ground did often make people heroic, but it also sometimes made them stupid.

Emma had felt it when Rumple's presence started to reach the borders of Storybrooke. She'd considered the possibility that he would try to leave, so she'd kept track of him.

She was in the undergrowth, hidden by the shadows of treetops too thick for moonlight to penetrate. She walked closer, curious how it would play out.

When the car had reached the town line, she'd almost created a magical barrier to stop it from crossing. It wouldn't have injured them, other than maybe a bit of seatbelt whiplash. Thankfully, Belle had opened the door, causing the car to squeal to a halt, which kept Emma from interfering.

Rumple was recounting a tale about the Ogres War. Apparently, he'd spun the story to Belle before in a way that made him sound better than he was. He'd been afraid. Of course, that was before he was the Dark One.

"I'm a coward, Belle. That's never going to change." He took one of her hands in his, "Please, come back in the car." Emma narrowed her eyes at his words. Not on my watch, she thought.

"This is the only way I know how to protect you." He walked backwards, pulling her hand with him, but Belle didn't budge.

"Protect yourself you mean," she said, her voice resigned. She dropped his hand and stepped backwards. Rumple leaned towards her, desperation on his face.

She shook her head, turning away. Emma let out a breath, glad that everything was going according to plan.

He called after her, once, twice. But she was already striding down the road quickly. Rumple stood there, his hand falling to his side, staring after her. Emma moved from behind her tree to glance at Belle. She was rounding the bend in the road, disappearing quickly. She wouldn't see a thing.

Rumple turned slowly, shambling back to the car and getting in. A few moments passed, before the engine rumbled to life in the quiet night. She waited until the car started to drive forward slightly, before teleporting to the road. Rumple jumped, eyes wide. The car jerked to a halt.

She stepped towards the old car, and placed her hands on the metal nose.

"You're not going anywhere, Mr. Gold," she drawled, "You're going to stay here until I'm finished with you."

Emma straightened, smiling, and glided around to the driver's side, trailing her fingers along the hood of the car.

"What's that phrase you always say?" She paused for effect and looked away as if thinking.

"Ah ha!" She snapped her fingers, and pointed at him, "I know you better than you know yourself, dearie."

She smiled, and he disappeared from inside the car in a cloud of black smoke.


Belle was finishing tying the knots as Merida groaned. She yanked the shoelace tight, and then pulled Merida onto her side to see her face.

"Are you alright?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them again.

"Aye, I think so. You stopped me. Thank you."

Merida tried to sit up, and Belle grabbed her arms and helped, getting her all the way to her feet.

"I remember you from Camelot. Emma almost killed you." Merida nodded, and Belle continued, "She has your heart doesn't she?"

She sighed, looking down. Her red hair fell over her face, obscuring her expression. It looked as if she was trying to test the knots behind her back, but Belle had been tied up and locked in places a lot. She'd taken the time to learn how to tie, and get out of, secure knots. It would hold.

She stopped wiggling her arms and looked up. "Aye. She told me to try to kill you."

"Me? So Rumple had nothing to do with it? You were shooting at both of us!"

"He may have. I don't know. Witches like her don't reveal information they don't have to."

Belle huffed in annoyance, and then thought of something, "Wait… you said try. She told you to try to kill me?"

"I don't think she actually wants you dead. Or maybe not yet."

"Fine. Then let's go ask her." Belle grabbed Merida's arm, and marched her back onto the road back towards Storybrooke.


Belle was fuming. The longer it took to get to Emma's house, the angrier she got. For the first time in her life, she wished she had the ability to teleport. She stomped up the front steps with Merida trailing behind. She wasn't surprised when she reached for the handle and discovered that the protection spell was down. The door slammed open, and the two of them headed for the slightly ajar basement door. A trail of orange light bulbs attached to the wall followed the stairs downwards, and circled the room. Her shoes crunched onto the reddish gravel floor for the second time that week.

Emma stood in the center of the room, in front of Excalibur's stone, her back facing them. Belle stopped a few feet away, hands fisted at her sides. Merida stood awkwardly behind her.

"She bested me. Fair and square."

Merida may as well not have spoken for all the attention Emma gave that comment. "I was getting worried. For a moment I thought I was going to have to drag down here myself." Emma turned gracefully around as she said the last words.

Belle glanced back at Merida, who was standing against the stone railing, as far away from the Dark Swan as possible.

"You obviously didn't send her to attack me for no reason. So what do you want?"

"I wanted you to understand that I have endless tools at my disposal to hurt you with if you don't agree to my request." Her next words were said with a hint of cruel amusement, "If I'd really wanted to make it hurt, I would have sent Rumple after you."

Belle slapped her arms against her sides in exasperation. "Yes. You've made your point. You're very powerful. Now why are you doing all this? Why kidnap Rumple?! What have you been doing to him?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to have a chat with him. I was curious what kind of man he was without the darkness. And I learned exactly what I needed to know."

Belle narrowed her eyes, confused. Hesitantly, she said, "What did you learn?"

"I learned what you just did. That the darkness made him better."

Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out. She didn't know where to begin to argue with that statement.

"Now, if you're done asking questions about a man who left you, I'd like you to do that favor for me.

Belle clamped her mouth shut and lifted up her chin. She hesitated a moment, but decided it was better just to get this over with. "Fine, what is it?"

"It's simple. Be the hero you were born to be." She stepped to the side, presenting Excalibur behind her. "Remove the blade."

She looked at the sword, gleaming in the yellow light. After hearing what Arthur said about Excalibur's purpose, it wasn't wise to remove the sword and give it to Emma. Belle started to regret confronting Emma, but then she glanced back at Merida. Emma would keep using people in this town to hurt others, and eventually she'd get what she wanted. I'll bet, Belle thought, that joining the two blades isn't easy, and requires more ingredients not easily obtained. They would still have time after this night to stop Emma from reunited the blade, from trying to destroy light magic.

"I know you won't stop wreaking havoc."

"Good. We understand each other."

"But I won't pull Excalibur unless you return Merida's heart."

Emma glared at her, but Belle refused to back down. "You need me. If you could just rip my heart out and command me to pull the sword, you would have. But you can't, can you? A hero needs to willingly pull the sword. So…" she couldn't believe she was about to say these next words, "do we have a deal?"

Merida leaned forward quickly, rushing to get the words out, "And my brothers! I want to know what happened to them." Belle nodded at Merida and smiled slightly.

Emma's jaw clenching as she considered briefly, then she snapped her eyes towards Merida. Her arm whipped out from behind her back, a heart in her hand. Merida tensed in pain, and walked jerking steps towards her. Emma's hand shot forward towards Merida's chest. Belle couldn't see Merida's face behind the massive red hair that looked like copper in the yellow light, but she heard her gasp in pain.

Emma stared into Merida's eyes coldly, "I was finished with this anyway."

Merida stumbled two steps back, gasping for breath.

Belle rushed to steady her and untie the shoestring around her wrists. "And the brothers?"

"They're fine, safe and sound by their mother's side. Now get on with it!" Emma shouted the last sentence, the words ringing against the cave walls.

Belle slowly walked towards Excalibur, her heels crunching on the gravel. She stood in front of the stone, examining the markings a second time, when a thought occurred to her.

"What happens if I can't pull it from the stone?" she said haltingly. She couldn't take her eyes off the design that mirrored the Dark One blade.

"Then the Apprentice's broom will be sweeping your remains from the floor," she declared.

Belle's eyes jerked to Emma and back to Excalibur repeatedly. Swallowing her fear, she took a breath and stepped forward, grasping the hilt with one hand.

She tightened her grip and pulled. For a moment, she felt nothing. Then the sword scraped upward, steal ringing against stone. She twisted her hand, spinning the blade upward.

She gasped at the beauty of it, the lights reflecting off the silver and black metal. She'd never found the dagger to be beautiful; it's dark purpose was too distracting. This, however, was something else. She felt tears in her eyes, and she blinked them away rapidly. She let go of the breath she was holding, and lowered the sword.

Emma hadn't moved, but her presence suddenly felt much closer to Belle than she cared for. She threw the sword on the ground between them.

Looking her in the eyes, Belle licked her lips before saying, "Well, a deal's a deal."

She walked past the Dark One, and put her arm around Merida who was still shaking. They headed back up the stairs and out the door, Belle not looking back once.


So Merlin couldn't help them. He was missing or dead, and he'd been terrified of Emma in that message.

Another dead end, and Arthur was against them. How typical. Every time they came back to Storybrooke from some venture, there was a new threat that hitched a ride with them. Killian sneered at the irony. He used to be that intruder to Storybrooke, two years ago when he arrived on his ship with Cora, ready to wreck havoc and murder the Dark One.

The five of them tramped up the stairs. As Killian neared the top, he glanced at the marble coffin that covered up the stairs leading down into Regina's vault. He hadn't been into her vault in months, and he hadn't thought of Cora last time he passed by that stone. Did that make him cold; heartless like her? This time though, when they'd come here to do a spell, he'd thought of her. They hadn't exactly been friends, but she had mattered in a different way.

Regina put her arm around Henry's shoulders, and the two headed off. Snow and David nodded at her, knowing that right now he needed to be with his mother. The four of them walked quickly, heading out the cemetery towards their homes. Killian wandered off, not paying attention to where he was going. It was a small cemetery, impossible to get lost in.

His steps were quiet on the grass, and even his clothing was making nigh a whisper, but he knew someone was watching him. He stopped, and waited for Emma to show herself.

One second, two seconds…He turned to look towards the forest that bordered one side of the graveyard, and when he looked back, Emma was standing a few feet from him, smiling lovingly.

Her hair glowed in the moonlight. She was radiant, with or without her new fashion sense. She wasn't wearing her animal skins this time; instead she wore a long black coat with a high collar and a flared waist. Killian noticed its resemblance to his old black vest and coat.

Her smile grew as he looked her up and down, and she almost took a step forward, hesitating. Instead, he stepped toward her and wound his arms around her back, drawing her close. He bent his head into her neck, feeling her draw her arms up around his shoulders. His mind relaxed as he held her.

He hadn't seen her since their conversation on his ship. He knew he should stay away from her, but he had missed her touch.

He became acutely aware that he smelled of wood smoke, from the potion's fire. Would she guess what he'd been doing in the cemetery? Had she been waiting for him to leave? Or was she only here because of their visit to her house?

"I didn't think you'd want to see me," he murmured, moving his head back to look into her eyes. Their faces were close enough he could feel her breath.

"Why wouldn't I want to see you? That's all I want. I want my boys with me." She eased one of her hands into the hair at the nape of his neck, and Killian shivered at the touch.

"Well, you know it was me that let the others into your house. It didn't work when Regina touched the handle."

"Well I had been hoping it would be just you. I know you love to be the lone daredevil sometimes," she teased, her voice lowering seductively.

He tilted his head, studying her face. He wondered if she knew what Arthur had told them, about Excalibur being used to destroy light or dark magic.

"Are you playing mind games with me, Swan?" he asked rhetorically, "What does me seeing Excalibur do for you?" He slid his arms off her back, letting them hang at his sides. "I don't appreciate the secrets one bit."

"Are you going to say its bad form?" she smiled, her tongue sliding along her teeth.

He pursed his lips, simultaneously annoyed and amused. He had been thinking that. She stopped playing with his hair, and she slid her hands down to rest on his forearms.

"I wanted you to see the sword because I wanted you to see for yourself the markings on the blade." She swallowed thickly, all traces of humor leaving her face. "It's going to be easier to explain myself now that you've seen for yourself that Excalibur and the dagger are connected. I didn't want you to think I was lying."

Her voice, her eyes, everything about her seemed sincere, but there was something else. The corners of her mouth were turned down, and she looked away from his face.

"Emma?" He frowned at her, worried.

She moved her hands inside his jacket, sliding them along his middle to his back. She looked up at him, and she was close enough that he could see the faint freckles patterning her nose.

His breathing grew shallow, and her eyes shifted back and forth between his.

She leaned the last couple of inches to his face, but paused, letting her lips brush against his without actually kissing him. She paused, and in that moment he saw her fear of rejection. He leaned his head into hers.

Their eyes closed slowly, their lips molding into one another. Her lips were warm against the chill of the night, and she smelled of earth and forest. He slid his arms under hers once more, squeezing her against his chest. She shivered, and he pulled away from her for a moment, their noses brushing against each others.

The intensity in her eyes was intoxicating, and he kissed her again, harder this time. Her feet moved, and her body pushed him backwards a few steps before he bumped into a towering grave pillar. He grunted at the sudden impact. Her entire body pressed against his, warm and soft.

She took her hands away from his back, running them along his chest. She tilted her head the other way, pulling at his lip with her teeth gently. He responded in kind, and slid his tongue into her mouth.

Her fingers reached up and started to unbutton his shirt. He gasped quietly into her mouth when she started running her fingers through his chest hair.

Their movements were slow, despite their intensity, and after a few minutes he loosened his grip on her. She released his lips, and gasped, "Killian, I missed you."

"Aye. And I you." He listened to the sound of her breathing, his face still millimeters from hers. She smiled lazily, her breathing ragged.

The sounds of the night came back to him. The crickets seemed louder than before. Her feet scuffed the ground, as she stood straighter, pulling away from him.

His back was cold against the stone, even through the leather, and he shifted, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"You know," she whispered, "I thought you wouldn't want to see me, given how our last conversation ended."

He sighed and looked off behind her, "What you said, about the Crocodile, it made me think of how he treated Belle all those years, lying to her and keeping secrets from her." He turned his eyes back to her, wanting her to see the depth of his sentiment. "It made me furious."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. I..." she trailed off. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I need you. And I already feel like I'm losing Henry."

Killian winced, not sure what to tell her. Was she losing him too? That depended on the perspective. Because she was right about some of the things she'd said before. He was tempted by the darkness. The desire to give in was still there. But he had to fight to be a better person, for her, because she had seen goodness in him.

"I won't stop fighting, and neither will Henry. He knows…" he paused, not wanting to anger her by saying that Henry believed that this wasn't Emma. He remembered her heartbroken voice when he'd said the same thing to her in her house, a believe he no longer thought was true. "He knows you love him," he finished, hoping that would be enough for now. "I'm sorry your boy had to see those memories."

She turned around, walking a few steps before pausing. She kept her back to him, facing the paved path toward the parking lot. "Me too, but that wasn't your fault."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm the one who found dream catcher," he challenged.

She spun back towards him, eyes wide with anger. "That doesn't matter. Regina revealed those memories," her voice grew harsh and guttural, "and Regina showed Henry."

He stayed quiet, not bothering to argue with her desire to blame someone. Sometimes finding someone to hate was more of a need than a want. Of course she was having trouble with what she did to Henry. It meant her former self was still there beneath the surface.

"Is that why you took our memories?" he asked quietly, "To spare us the knowledge of things you've done in Camelot?" Like whatever it is you did to Merlin, he silently questioned.

She turned her face away, lowering her eyes. "That was only part of it."

He waited for her to continue, but she was silent. She tilted her head, stretching her neck out.

"It's late. You should sleep," she suggested, before walking off.

"Swan," he called, "you said you were going to explain yourself. About Excalibur."

She looked over her shoulder, a small smile on her face. "I could tell you, but then you won't be surprised when you here it from the others." She smirked, "Wouldn't it be better if you heard it first from Belle? Then I could tell you the rest of it."

"Belle?" He shook his head, exasperated, "Emma! Enough games. I already know the answer. I just wanted you to say it. Arthur told us the two blades were forged together. Their markings aren't just similar; they're the same." He took a step towards her, pointing an accusing finger, "And you're going to use it to snuff out your light magic."

She hadn't realized that Arthur told them of what Excalibur could do. He could see it in her face. Perhaps she hadn't realized that Arthur knew.

"Emma, your light magic is a part of you," he pleaded. "Why get rid of it?"

The smile fell from her face. She turned her body all the way towards him, but she wouldn't look at him at first. The corners of her mouth quirked, and she crossed her arms.

She looked down at the ground, hiding her expression from him. Her hands gripped her arms, and her voice was strained as she said, "Light magic was not meant to exist inside the body of the Dark One."

He considered that for a moment, before asking, "And what does that mean for you?"

A breeze stirred the trees, and the rustling leaves were like whispers. The wind pushed a few strands of hair into his eyes, but he didn't move a muscle. He had this feeling that that if he moved, she would run from his prying questions. So he waited.

She stood there, feet planted apart, back straight and head down. He couldn't tell if she was crying or angry or anything.

After what felt like minutes, she finally looked up at him.

With pain in her eyes, she whispered, "It's hurting me."

Then she was gone in a spiral of smoke.