A/N- Sorry about the delay. I can't believe it took me this long to update. Got totally swept up in the frenzy that was the finale. Still not over it. Doubt I will be over it anytime soon, as I just was not emotionally prepared for that last scene. At all.

Anyway, I promise the next update will be soon, especially because I don't want to leave you hanging with how I ended this chapter.

Also, big thank you to everyone who has reviewed and faved/followed. I cannot tell you how much your feedback means to me and I sincerely appreciate all of you who take the time to comment. ILY!

Now... here we go.

Chapter 10

As the last of the swirling smoke cleared, Regina, Henry, and his grandparents took stock of the aftermath from Emma's destruction. Regina's home was in shambles, in the corner (thankfully out of the direct line of vision) were at least two bodies, and Mary Margaret was clutching at her dislocated arm while a trickle of blood ran down her cheek. David was visibly bruised and pale, while Regina looked like she had just gone three rounds with Tyson. Not even Henry was unscathed. He wore a haunted look in his eyes that would take a long time to fade away. Seeing your mother try to kill the people you loved did that to you.

Perhaps it was because Regina didn't have her heart that she recovered emotionally quicker than any of the others. "Well, I suppose I owe that thief my life now," she quipped, her usual method of dealing with crisis by sarcasm and a mask of indifference falling well below par for her.

"Regina…" Mary Margaret said unsteadily, creeping slowly to where Regina was standing. "I…thank you. You saved me. You saved all of us."

Regina wanted to wave off her gratitude, to pretend like she wasn't affected, but when Henry's eyes lit up for the first time in what felt like forever, she just couldn't. "Yeah, mom. You're a real hero. I always knew it."

Without a word she latched her arms around her son, the fears she had shaking loose and flooding her eyes with tears.

"We'll get your heart back, Regina. I promise," David added, sounding like his old self for the briefest of moments.

Even Henry picked up on the small sliver of hope that was beginning to rekindle among the group. "Yeah… I mean, there's still time, right? We can stop her?"

Regina looked around, testing the magical barrier that Emma had put in place with her own magic. Odd, but it didn't feel as strong as it could have been. Why didn't Emma make it stronger?

Suddenly that small spark of hope flared to life inside her. "Henry, I think you're right. Snow, Charming, listen to me. Emma's still in there. I saw it a couple of times when I was really pushing her. I think somehow she is still fighting despite everything she said."

Snow frowned as David pulled her close, trembling in his arms. "How can you be certain? I mean, I wanted to believe that, too, but Emma…my daughter…when I looked at her, it was like I was looking at a stranger. And if we go up against her again, we might not be so lucky."

Regina rolled her eyes in aggravation. "Snow, don't. I know how hard it must have been to have Emma say those things to you. And I'm not going to pretend to know what she was talking about with the soul-swapping stuff. But trust me on this. Emma is still there. And I think she wants us to rescue her."

David looked around the remains of the room. "How? We're trapped here."

Regina stuck out her hand, testing the magic barrier once more to be certain. "Yes, but that's one of the reasons I think Emma's not gone. She trapped us, but she didn't make it as strong as she could have. And she knows that I can break this spell. I think she purposely held back her magic so that we can break free and escape."

Shaking her head, Snow shrugged. "Maybe she just wants to give us the chance to get Henry out of here."

With another eye roll, Regina tried to get them to see her point. "Yes, but I also thinks she wants us to go after her."

"Why?" David asked.

Regina looked to her son, who was watching the exchange with a mixture of hope and sadness in his eyes. She could see how badly he wanted to believe her, but the memory of what Emma had done was just too fresh. Regina's heart (well, if she had her heart) ached for him, wanting to keep that hope kindled.

"There was a moment when I was talking about Hook where the old Emma came back. I saw the very real fear in her eyes that she would be left behind again. But I don't think it was Hook she was worried about. They share a connection, she would know if he was leaving. No, I think her fear was that we would leave her to this darkness."

"Regina, are you certain? If we go after her like this and she's too far gone, who knows what she might do," Snow said hesitantly. Regina could see the fear and pain eating the woman alive and she knew she had to stop it.

"Yes, I am. And I'm willing to bet my life on it. Do you have any idea how many times she could have just killed you or me but didn't? She was holding herself back, every time. She was playing it out, stalling, fighting the impulse with whatever she could."

Snow took a deep breath and looked up into her husband's eyes. Regina could see that she finally had accepted what she had been telling them. "David, I think she's right. She never laid a hand on me when she so easily could have. You saw how easy it was for her to kill Cruella, but she didn't use half that force when she threw me. I only hurt my arm because of where I landed. I don't think that was intentional."

David met her hopeful gaze with one of his own as he hugged his wife tighter, mindful of her shoulder. "And she kept ignoring me and Henry. There was no way she couldn't have sensed us sneaking around behind her. She's too good. Regina, I think you're right!"

Regina smiled to herself, watching in relief as the light came back to Henry's face. Waving her arms in front of her, she steeled herself for what came next. "Now, I need you all to stand back. But first…Snow, let me see that arm."

Snow unlatched herself from David and stepped closer. On her face was a soft, grateful look. As Regina's hands glowed with magic, she added softly, "Regina, if I don't get a chance to say it later… I'm really glad to have you back. Thank you."

Shifting uncomfortably, all Regina could do was answer, "Thank me after we get your daughter back." Then, she turned to her son, pride welling up in the area of her chest that was normally occupied. "Ready?"

Henry looked up to her with a beaming smile, then back to his grandparents, before pumping his fist in the air. "Yes! Operation Lighthouse is back on track."

…..

The storm raged on.

Except for the near constant flashes of lightning, ominous clouds blocked out all other light. The winds were strong enough to knock over signs and trees and were only getting stronger. It seemed as if the storm wanted to blow Storybrooke right off the map. At its epicenter above the clock tower, the winds were eerily still, as if waiting for the right moment to unleash hell.

Belle clutched her hands nervously and shifted her gaze back to the two men standing in the dark. Her teeth chattered, not with cold, but with fear. While she knew Rumple would never willingly harm her, and Killian was her friend, but whatever happened to him had clearly changed him completely. Even when he had tried to harm her before, she had never felt this level of darkness from him. It was like he was an empty shell of a person, filled with the blackest evil. There would be no rationalizing with him.

Rumple sighed, his expression kept carefully neutral. "Going to kill me, pirate? How original. Well, you finally have the means, might as well get it over with."

Even in the gloom, Killian's cruel smirk could be seen. Just a sliver of white teeth amongst the gloom. Kill you? That's not very creative. No, I've waited too bloody long for this, and I'm going to savor every second." He raised the dagger up so that the flashes of lightning sparked along the outline of the curved blade. "Let's just say that I've something far more satisfying for me than just your death."

Rumple showed nothing outwardly, but Belle was well schooled in his expressions. And whether he would admit it or not, right now, Rumple was terrified.

Killian chuckled to himself and wet his lips, studying the Dark One and his love like he was internally mapping out the many possible ways for them to die. Belle had never seen a person so void of human emotion, so dead behind the eyes. What was this curse? How could it affect a person so much? And what about Emma? If this was what Killian was like, how bad was she?

"See, I know how much you care about the lovely Belle there. I know how much you yearn for her, how you would do anything to keep her safe. I feel the same way about those I love," Killian remarked, but something about his tone struck Belle as off. Almost as if it were merely a fact and not his real reason for his actions. Never had she heard someone speak so coldly of love.

Licking his lips again, his sneer curled upward while his gaze narrowed. "You knew that well," he accused, pointing the dagger at Rumple's chest. Belle's breath caught in her throat. Was this it? The moment she would be forced to watch him die? Could she throw the potion and knock him out in time? Killian continued on, "And yet, it didn't stop you, did it Crocodile? First Milah, then Emma. And while I bear the lass no ill will, I'm afraid you've unwillingly made her a pawn in our little game here," he added with a very pointed glance at her.

Belle turned from Killian to see the horror seep into Rumple's eyes, all of his usual bravado gone. She tried to hold back the tears that were on the cusp of falling, but knowing that she was in more danger than she had previously believed because of her love's actions made her both sad and angry.

Killian hefted the dagger and twirled it back and forth in his palm. "You see, people like us shouldn't get attached. It never turns out well. We only end up hurting those we love."

"People like us?" Rumple spat, his mask snapping back into place with surprising ease.

Taking a step closer, Killian sneered at him. "Aye, us. You know, the villains."

"I may be a villain, pirate, but I have never claimed to be otherwise," Rumple seethed.

Killian laughed at that. "Indeed. Yet I see now that we are more alike than I cared to admit. We both tried to become something we were never meant to be because of love." Killian shook his head, the action feeling overtly acted. "I see how wrong I was now. You've reminded me of who I truly am. So, before I kill you, I would like to give you a gift, of sort, to show my appreciation."

Rumple grasped his hands and turned his head. "Gifts were never my style. I make deals. So why don't you go ahead and just kill me, pirate," he prompted for the second time, daring the man to take him up on the challenge.

A dark silence filled the space and only the crash of thunder dared disrupt it.

Killian ran the tip of his hook across his lip in thought, while his black eyes darted back to Belle. "It's bad form to refuse a gift, imp. Perhaps I should teach you a lesson in manners as well," he growled.

Rumple remained impassively still.

"No?" Killian raised a brow in question, as if waiting for an answer. "Very well," Hook continued with an indifferent shrug. "My gift to you is this—a little something for you to hold onto while I send you to your doom." Hook lifted the dagger, grasping it with firm purpose, his voice booming as he said, "Dark One, I command you to take the heart of your love and crush it into dust."

Rumple's face fell and he swayed on his feet as if fighting the urge to move forward. "No! Please! Leave Belle out of this," he begged.

Hook sneered and stepped forward. "Just like you left Emma out of it?" He stepped back, face set. "No. Now do as you are commanded, dog."

Rumple clenched his hands tightly, struggling not to move, not to take those last few steps that would bring him closer to Belle. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't resist the call of the dagger and his feet slowly bore him forward. He looked up, unable to not look Belle in the eye. "Oh god, Belle, I'm so sorry. I never wanted it to happen like this. I just wanted to rewrite the stories, to get my happy ending so that I could be with you."

Belle stepped back, inching away from him, until her back hit the wall. Escape was impossible. There was nowhere to run, and even if she could, Rumple would just use his magic to bring her back. She shook her head sadly, her whole chest aching in pain. "Rumple, you had a happy ending. But it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. And now you've lost everything. You did this…" she tilted her head toward the dagger-wielding pirate, who sat observing their interactions with keen interest. "He is bound to Emma and now he's absorbed her darkness. The darkness you cast upon her. This is your fault," she declared, trying to remain brave and strong.

Rumple's face fell with her admonishment, but just as suddenly, he whipped back around to face the pirate. "Wait…I can fix this!" He cried, waving a hand in the air, as suddenly a crystal orb glowing with black smoke appeared floating in the middle of the room. It was eerily beautiful and terrifying to look at. "See? This is the result of Emma's curse. It is absorbing her dark magic. Destroy it and the curse will be broken." Rumple turned to the black-eyed man who was literally holding his entire world in his hand and not for the first time, he begged with utter sincerity, "Jones, let me destroy it and I can save Emma. Please!"

The only answer he received was an ice-cold laugh, and Belle's heart stopped. She swallowed hard, and tried not to panic. Killian shrugged indignantly at the little man. "It no longer matters, imp. Emma and I like this darkness. And soon, I will take your power and Emma and I will rule this world together!"

Finally Belle had found her voice. "Rumple, you have to stop this! Destroy that orb!"

Circling the orb, Killian tutted quietly, "Uh, uh, uh, crocodile. Don't even think about it. In fact, I command you not to destroy that orb. Now, stop stalling and get on with it."

Rumple's face crumbled. He turned to Belle with a look of absolute terror. "I'm sorry, Belle. I can't." And once more, he began to walk towards her, his hand reaching out against his will to the middle of Belle's chest, the struggle clear in his eyes.

This was it. She was going to die. And at the hand of the one man she truly loved. She had one tiny possibility of stopping this madness. Slipping her hand into her pocket, she pulled out the potion and held it tightly. Rumple saw what she was doing and his eyes lit up in hope.

Belle pulled back, checked her aim and began to throw.

Just then, lightning struck right outside the window, in a crash so loud it made her jump in fright, releasing the potion too soon. The bottle fell harmlessly to the floor, shattering the glass into a thousand tiny crystal shards, as the last of her hope stained the wooden beams.

"No," she whispered, looking up to meet Rumple's eyes.

With agony, he took another step closer.

"Hook!" A new voice boomed.

The dagger in Killian's hand slumped as he turned around, and Rumple exhaled heavily, momentarily spared from his fate.

Killian smiled brightly as his one true love suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, looking more deadly and beautiful than she had ever looked before. "Emma."

With a cold fire banking in her eyes, she returned a delicate smile at him. "You know, if anyone is to be the next Dark One, it should be me."

Killian nodded, ready to give her anything she asked, even if it were his own heart upon a silver platter. "Of course, my love." He took several strides forward, all the while assessing her appearance with a lust-filled gaze. "I must say, love, I whole-heartedly approve of your new wardrobe."

She smirked at him and held out her hand for the dagger.

Unseen by either Killian or Emma, Gold used their momentary distraction to his advantage. He gave Belle one last look, trying desperately to apologize and show her that he still loved her before waving his hand and vanishing her away. No one seemed to even notice her absence, and Gold sagged in relief. If he was to die, at least Belle would be safe.

Without looking in his direction, Emma called out, "Gold. I've come to thank you. Because of you, I now know what I truly am capable of. Haven't you always said that magic is power?" She stepped around the pirate, who was still staring at her exposed chest, and glided up to him. Like a secret, she whispered in his ear, "And I want more."

Throwing her head back, she spun once more and held out her hand, "Hook, give me the dagger now!"

Killian stepped forward obediently and held out the dagger like a child eager to please his parent. But as she reached out for it, the tips of her fingers brushed against his wrist, and all at once he jolted back from her, as a wave of emotion and memory sparked through his skin.

Suddenly, the blackness lifted from him, and he remembered it all. He remembered who Killian Jones was and what he was really doing here. Looking up at Emma as she slipped her hands around the handle of the blade, he could see just how far the curse had progressed, how deep her evil now ran. And he knew he had to stop her. To bring her back.

"Emma, no," he said, pulling his hand and the blade away from her at the last moment. "This isn't right. You have to fight it. You need to stop."

Emma laughed and stepped closer, running a fingernail down his arm, sending a shudder of desire through his body. But it wasn't right. This wasn't Emma. "I don't want to stop," she cooed, her voice dripping in seduction and malice. "Give me the dagger, Hook, or I'll be forced to take it from you, and I'd really rather not hurt you. Yet." Her fingers stopped and wrapped themselves around his wrist. Painfully.

He hissed as she burned her magic into him. "Emma, please, you have to fight it!" He pleaded. "I know you can. I know a small piece of the old you is still in there." The place where she was touching him was searing with her contact and his hand shook violently. Still, he held onto the dagger for all he was worth.

Emma sighed and shook her head, her green eyes dead and filled with amber fire. "You're wrong. This is me." Then her face dissolved into a frown, and she threw his arm away from her. "I thought you were different, Hook. I thought I could trust you. But you are just like the others, always wanting me to be someone I'm not."

Killian cradled his wrist to his chest, trying to ignore the pain. "Emma, you forget, love, we share a bond. I'm not just saying this because I want to change you. This is because I can feel it inside you. You don't want this, not entirely. Please, Emma."

For one blessed second, he thought she had heard him. For one second, her eyes no longer seemed so fiery and cold. For one second, she was his love. And then, it was gone. "No!" She screamed, throwing him to the ground with her magic, and when he looked up, she had the dagger in her hand. "I'm not your Emma! I am my own, the Dark Swan, and now I will claim the Dark One's powers for my own!"

Rounding on Rumple, who was backed against the wall of the clock tower, Emma raised the dagger high above her head. Killian knew he had only a second in which to act. And then, in the corner of his eye, he saw his salvation and knew exactly what he needed to do.

In a blink, Killian dashed across the room, plucked the orb from the air, and threw himself right in front of the Dark One just as Emma brought the dagger down to drive the blade into his chest. Only, it didn't go through Rumple's heart. It went through the glass orb, shattering it into pieces, before it came to an abrupt, aborted halt.

Thick, black smoke filled the air, as the dying scream of dark magic was ripped from its home.

At once, Emma's mind felt free, like a dense cloud had been lifted and she could see the sky after an endless gloom. Outside the window, the storm that was threatening to tear apart the town ended just as suddenly as it began. Emma blinked rapidly, her mind clearing away the last of the dark impulses that had been enveloping her for so long. How had she let it go so far? How had the darkness taken root inside her without her even noticing? How-

Without warning, Emma was driven to her knees by a sharp, shooting pain. She clutched at her chest, sucking in deep breaths trying to find the oxygen. It felt as if her heart was breaking and she couldn't understand why. And then, she looked up and saw the true result of her actions. Killian wavered on his feet, the dagger sticking out of his chest, before dropping to the ground in front of her.

Through shuddering breath and a haze of tears, she gasped out his name. "Killian?"

"Forgive me, Emma," he gasped, a red pool spreading out from beneath him and staining the floorboards of the old tower.

"No!" Emma cried out, feeling the searing pain in her chest growing duller as her innate magic tried to protect her. The bond she had created between them was peeling back, allowing her to live should he die. She could feel it go, feel him willing it to go, like he was loosening the ropes so that he could drift away.

Like hell, she thought.

Pulling herself over to him, she pulled him to her, clutching at his arms and chest, wondering if pulling out the dagger would make the wound better or worse, or if her magic could heal him. Without noticing, she had shredded the fabric of her dress and used them to apply what pressure she could. She could hear the wails of a distant voice crying 'No, no, no, no…" and it dawned on her that it was coming from her own mouth.

Emma looked up to see an oddly repentant-looking Gold hovering over them. "Help me!" She growled, resisting the urge to punch his face. "Do something, damn it!"

He knelt down and shook his head. "I cannot. This wound was caused by the dagger and I am prevented from using my magic."

Emma turned to Killian who was trying to search out her hand with his. "'Salright," he slurred, his voice barely above a whisper, as his breaths still came in ragged pants. It dawned on her that the blade must have pierced a lung, and she flinched at the clinical detachment she was using. It was a defense mechanism, a way to protect herself from feeling the pain.

But she couldn't do that. Not now. Not to him. He deserved so much better.

"Safe now," he whispered, his eyes slipping shut.

"NO!" She shouted, shaking his shoulders. "Don't you dare do this to me! Killian!"

"Swan?" His eyes flashed open, looking frightened, but alert. But only for a moment. They glazed over briefly, and then refocused with purpose. "I lo—"

"Don't!" Her whole body trembled at his words not spoken. She was not about to allow him to tell her he loved her then die. That was not how this was going to work.

Somewhere behind her there was a commotion in the room, new voices shouting her name. But she heard and saw none of it. All she could see was the light fading from his eyes and all she could hear was the dwindling beat of his heart. "Stay with me," she begged, laying her head in the crook of his neck, his shirt dampening with her tears. "Killian, please."

….

It didn't take long for Regina to break through Emma's spell, and in a matter of minutes, they were free. Regina turned to Snow and Charming and said, "I'll handle this. You get Henry to safety and protect the town. I'll go after Emma."

Snow and David exchanged a look and shook their heads. "No. She is our daughter and magic or not, we will not stand by and let her be alone in this."

"Mom," Henry interjected. "I want to come, too. She loves me and I know that somewhere in there, she still does. Please. I'll be alright."

Regina frowned, knowing that they only had minutes at most to rescue Emma. Sighing, she relented. "Together?"

Snow and Charming locked hands, pulling Henry in with them. "Together."

Still, they had no idea where Emma actually had gone, as she had taken Will (and her heart) with her. And really, they could be anywhere. Maybe they should just run for the center of town and hope for the best.

Just then, Snow and David opened the front door and they were met with the full force of the storm over the town. It took the two of them, and Henry, just to close the door against the hurricane force winds.

"Guess we won't be walking," she mumbled.

Before she could do anything else, though, a cloud of purple smoke appeared before them and from it, a dazed and tear-stained Belle collapsed to the ground.

"Belle!" Snow shouted, running for her, but Belle looked around and waved her away.

"There's no time. Emma and Killian have Rumple and the dagger in the clock tower." She looked at Regina, her normally vibrant blue eyes subdued and terrified. "You have to save them."

Regina only nodded, knowing there was no time to lose, and poofed all of them to the clock tower with a wave of her hand. It was time they saved the Savior.

...

Next- The conclusion (in which not every happy ending is what you might expect)