The Dark One entered the Sheriff's station, finding her way through the darkness expertly. She knew this place like the back of her hand. As she entered her old office, she flicked on the fluorescent lights overhead. David moaned at the action, knowing he was no longer alone.
Through the blindfold and magical hold on the cell he was in, the Prince was trapped. "What have you done to them? My daughter and my wife? My grandson?" The man demanded, his confidence unwavering.
Emma smirked at his question. Her father never knew it was really his daughter doing all of this. Not once had Emma spoken to him in the time of his captivity. It was driving him insane. Literally. Knowing his captor was near but never speaking messed with his mind.
"Answer me!" The man screamed. Emma poofed herself into the cell, wrapping her midnight black nails around his pale throat. He coughed and struggled under her grip, choking out an apology as best he could. The Dark One let him go, leaning back to watch him.
What shall she do with him today? She would usually pleasure herself while using him as a toy, but she was quite elated from her earlier visits. So she decided to drive him a little more insane. "Look at you, brother," she spoke, disguising her voice.
"James!" David spat, thrashing against his bindings. "Is this the way you run your kingdom? You allow your subjects to have control over you?" Emma asked. "This isn't real. James is dead. This is all in my head." The Prince whispered.
The Dark One stood and silently made her way over to him. "This is very real, dear brother. I just thought I'd pay a visit to my twin before I continued on my journey," Emma spoke right next to his ear. "Are you the one torturing us? Are you trying to take over the town?" David asked.
"I have much more satisfying things to take care of rather than spend my time torturing peasants."
"Then- "Emma cut her father off, covering his mouth to silence him. "But I couldn't just leave without bringing a gift."
With the wave of her hand, David's mother was standing in the middle of the room. "David?" The older woman said. "Mother!" David cried, a smile appearing on his face. Ruth moved to free her son, but suddenly noticed Emma.
The Dark One put a finger to her lips as a warning as she held a sharp dagger towards her father. The old woman's eyes lit up with fear, and she physically began shaking. "James, how did manage to bring Mother back with you? You're supposed to be dead," David spoke.
Ruth looked back and forth between her son and Emma, confused and frightened. "That's my secret, David," Emma answered. "Mother, are you alright?" Her father asked.
Emma nodded to the woman to step forward. Ruth glanced at her nervously before kneeling in front of her son. She pressed a shaking wrinkled hand against the man's cheek. "My dear boy. How I've missed you," she finally said.
David's lower lip trembled, and he reached a bruised hand up to touch the woman and make sure she was real. "It's been so long since I've heard your voice."
Ruth leaned forward and touched her forehead to his, smiling gently. "I am so proud of you, Davey," she said. "You've missed out on so much. Snow and I got married, we had a daughter. Our Emma. And she had a son of her own, our grandson Henry."
"I know, dear," the woman chuckled. "I've been keeping my eye on things. You've made a life for yourself."
Emma rolled her eyes at the sappy words exchanged between the two people. She was already bored. In her hands she toyed with her favorite dagger. The urges were getting stronger and she knew she wouldn't last long.
"Please untie me, Mother. Stop James from doing whatever it is he's doing. I need to protect my family. That includes you," David said. "I love you, my son," Ruth said, kissing the man's cheek.
"Enough!" Emma snapped in James's voice, standing up from her seat. "I think it's about time I did what I came here to do."
Ruth's eyes became as wide as saucers as the Dark One came near, and she feebly attempted to shield her son. "Please don't do this!" She begged. Ruth cried out as Emma pulled her up roughly, her hand twisting the woman's curly gray hair. "JAMES!" David screamed.
"Goodnight, Grandmother," Emma whispered in the woman's ear using her normal voice. The woman barely had time to react as she stabbed the dagger into her heart. Ruth let out a scream of pain, gurgling as she began to bleed internally. Emma soaked in the feeling of the woman dying slowly in her arms.
Her limbs slowly became heavy, and she started to breathe in short gasps. Finally, her chest rose and then fell for the last time. Her corpse withered away into gray dust. David began to sob, rocking back and forth on the floor.
"Goodbye, brother," Emma said in James's voice before sitting beside her father. "Just kill me. Please just get it over with," her father cried, tears sneaking out from underneath the blindfold. Emma held him, stroking his hair gently and whispering in his ear.
The Prince jerked his head, the dark whispers invading his brain like a virus. "Get out of my head. Stop!" He hissed, unable to cover his ears due to the ropes around his wrists. He tried to resist her affection but eventually gave in, his grief taking over.
Emma knew he would eventually die. He would most likely be the first one to go. The poison invading his brain would soon consume him. She wasn't planning on keeping her victims around forever. She would find her son; find the others she had sent away. Teach them to embrace darkness, embrace power.
She would snuff out the light forever. And luckily for her, everyone was losing hope. Even her ever so optimistic parents had given up, it seemed.
Emma gently laid her father down on his cot, taking the blindfold off his eyes. He blinked for a few seconds before the truth finally registered. "Emma," he said, his voice filled with pain and sadness. "Goodnight, Daddy." The Dark One whispered before using her magic to send him off to sleep.
He wouldn't remember a thing when he woke up, but she always enjoyed seeing the pain she caused him as she revealed her true colors.
Making sure the cell was safely secured, she flipped off the lights and made her way to Granny's. Zelena was already waiting, as she expected. The red-head nursed a bottle of Jack Daniel's in her hand, a disgusted look on her face as she took a swig.
"I don't know why I bother to show up on time. You're always late," the witch muttered. "Patience, dear," Emma said with a smirk, sitting down across from her and pouring herself a drink. "Why did you even invite me here? You're obviously infatuated with my little sister," Zelena hissed.
Emma sighed. She never meant for Zelena to see that. What she had with Regina was special. Different from anyone else. Regina was truly and fully hers now, and she loved taking care of her. "I brought you here because I have a surprise for you."
"Another person for me to torture so you can go and coddle the Queen?"
Emma pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before standing and going over to her. "Zelena," she spoke softly. The red-head looked up at her with glassy eyes, already intoxicated from the alcohol. The Dark One leaned down and planted a soft kiss on the woman's lips.
She felt Zelena kiss her back, and she reached down to cup her face. The older woman was hungry and needing. Not lustful, but rather broken. She craved affection, just like her sister. And deep inside the big bad Dark One, she felt a twinge of empathy. Emma wasn't that different from the two lost sisters.
Emma slowly pulled back, her ice cold fingers stroking the witch's face. "Come on," She pulled the woman up and led her upstairs to Room 7.
"I'm not having sex with you if that's what you're hoping for," Zelena mumbled, leaning against the wall. Emma rolled her eyes and pushed the door open. Screaming pierced the air and Zelena covered her ears. "Bloody hell! What is this?" Zelena complained.
Emma stepped inside to greet the prisoner laying on the bed. "How are you feeling, beauty?" The Dark One laid a hand against the young woman's sweaty forehead. "Belle? This is my surprise? Some pregnant maid going into labor?" The red-head asked, not bothering to hide her disgust.
Belle's face contorted in pain as she clutched her swollen belly. "I think it's almost time to meet that little baby, don't you think?" Emma asked. "Screw you! You tricked me! Gave me some sort of poison!" The brunette screeched furiously.
"You're overreacting. I simply gave you some herbal tea to help with your pregnancy. I gave Zelena onion rings to help with hers," Emma glanced over at the older woman to see a sour look on her face. "And just think- you won't be having the miserable symptoms of pregnancy for 9 months. Believe me, it's not fun."
"I need Rumple!" Belle screamed, nearly sobbing in agony. "Gold is a bit helpless right now. He's still fast asleep in his little coma he put himself into trying to be a hero," Emma informed the young girl, trying to calm her down. Zelena stepped forward and lifted the girl's nightgown. "I can see it!" She exclaimed, half-intrigued, half mortified.
Belle tried and failed to close her legs as the contractions worsened. "I won't let you hurt my baby!" She screamed at Zelena. "We all know what you did to yours."
Zelena moved forward to attack the girl, but Emma held her back. "Your husband is the one that hurt my baby girl! First my sister and Robin took her from me, and then he killed her! I held her once! One time!" Zelena screamed at her.
A look of confusion crossed the girl's face before she started writhing in agony once more. "It hurts so much!" She screamed. "Then I suggest you stop trying to fight it. That baby is coming whether you want it to or not, so for the well-being of your child I suggest you push," Emma pressed down hard on the brunette's stomach, forcing it to contract.
5 more minutes of agonizing screams and then a new cry filled the air. The Dark One held the baby girl in her arms, poofing a small pink blanket around the baby's body. "Is my baby alright?" Belle strained her neck to see, still breathing heavily.
"She's perfect." Emma murmured, touching the newborn's rosy pink cheek with her pale finger. The baby looked up at her with bright blue eyes that matched her mother's. "She? It's a girl. My Collette," Belle smiled through the exhaustion.
Emma's head snapped towards the young girl. "Whoever said this baby was yours?" She snarled. Belle's eyes widened in shock and fear. The Dark One walked over to Zelena and placed the baby in her arms. "This is your surprise," she said softly. Zelena's eyes actually filled with tears as she nestled the little girl with chestnut hair.
"Wait! You can't do this! She's mine!" Belle cried. Emma waved her hand and the brunette fell unconscious. She knelt in front of Zelena, placing a hand on her knee. "You see? I really do care for you. I wouldn't have gone through all of this trouble to get you a new daughter if I didn't."
Zelena smiled up at her, genuine gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you, Em- Dark One."
"You deserve this. You never should have lost your daughter in the first place," the Dark One said. It was true. Even the Savior didn't think what Regina and Robin were doing was right. No mother should ever be ripped away from her child like that. Regina didn't listen to her of course, even though Emma had tried everything to help Zelena see her baby.
Eventually, Zelena ended up on her doorstep. In the middle of the night while it was pouring rain, the Wicked Witch had bared her soul to her enemy, breaking down in her arms. And Emma had comforted her. She had fixed them both a drink and even shared some sorrows of her own.
Soon, a plan was formulated. Emma would take possession of the Dark One's dagger and take the power for herself. Gold, too wrapped up in Belle and the soon-to-be arrival, was surprisingly easy to overpower. Zelena was more than willing to help, and soon Emma was the most powerful in Storybrooke.
The baby began to whimper and squirm in the red-head's arms. Emma carefully took the baby back into her arms. Zelena's mouth opened to protest, hurt etched across her face. The Dark One quickly stroked her hair, effectively calming her. "I'm not taking her away from you, pet. You've just drank a little much is all."
"You said to bring your appetite, and I wasn't hungry," Zelena muttered. Emma chuckled and pulled the woman to her feet, leading them back down to the diner. "Let's get some food in you before bed," Emma said, carefully setting the sleeping baby in a bassinet she had conjured.
"I'd rather have some more whiskey," Zelena spoke, reaching for the bottle. Emma quickly moved it out of her way. "Trust me Zel, you'll be thanking me when you wake up," The Dark One reassured her, giving her some ibuprofen and a glass of water.
She left the woman alone for a few minutes to make some grilled cheeses for the both of them. Even her dark side still loved food. She re-entered the kitchen to see Zelena holding the little girl, cooing softly to her. "What are you gonna name her?" Emma asked, setting the plates down on the table.
"I was thinking Rosie. She has such rosy cheeks and she looks like a beautiful little flower. It was always my favorite," Zelena answered. "It's perfect." Emma smiled and bit into her sandwich, nearly moaning at the delicious gooey taste. Zelena finally set the baby down and began to eat, enjoying the meal as much as Emma.
"I wanted to clarify some things. With Regina," Emma started. She was surprised when the older woman waved her hand in dismissal. "It's alright. At first I thought I was just some servant to you, nothing more than that. And to see how you acted with my sister, well, it made me jealous."
Emma nodded as the red-head glanced over at her. "But I realize you've treated me really well. Gave me nice things, control over some things in the town, you'vr given me this precious baby to have as my own. I understand why you treat Regina the way you do now."
"And why is that?" Emma asked, her curiosity peaked. "I noticed when you were the Savior, you were really protective of her. Regina and Henry were the two people you let yourself become close to. You felt something for Regina. And I know my sister did too. Robin wasn't as special as you were."
Emma noticed the woman was rambling now and her eyes were tired-looking. "Maybe you're right," the Dark One agreed, gently pulling the woman up and leading her upstairs to another room. "Get some rest now."
"But- my baby- "Zelena protested as Emma laid her down on the bed before poofing her into pajamas. "She'll be just fine. I'll take care of her," the young woman reassured her, tucking her in before going down to the diner.
As she held the new baby in her arms, she realized Zelena really was right. The Savior really did care for Regina. But now those feelings had turned into something else. Punishing her, cuddling her, treating her like she was years younger than she really was…
Emma realized Regina was almost like her baby, just as Belle's baby was Zelena's. And she would be okay with just the four of them. Once the others had withered away into nothing, Emma could truly start over. She would turn Regina evil, nurture her and raise her to be the Queen she once was. But until then, she would have her fun.