So, I've already got this and the last chapter written and corrected by my beta, so the story will be finished by the end of this week.

Also, I'm sorry if I haven't answered to your review, it's not that I don't care because I love comments, but I've been too busy with uni and my summer internship and family and friends coming over...

Anyway, hope you guys like it!


Fear was something Emma was not used to. There were times in her life where she was afraid can be counted on one hand. As she walked down the tunnels and towards to the dark castle, she realized that she was beyond scared, she was petrified, not just for herself, she was frightened for her family, the kingdom, and lastly, for Regina.

They were about to meet the cruelest man their world has ever seen. And, they were only carrying a couple daggers and swords and they somehow thought that they would emerge as victors? What were they thinking? This was a terrible idea. She should have never listened to Graham.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and tell Graham that they should retreat, she heard Regina's voice, "Use the Star Tear, Emma." The blonde turned around, trying to find the source of the sound.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered.

Graham stopped walking and turned around to meet her gaze, "Hear what?"

"Emma," it was more like a whisper, carried out by the wind, "The Star Tear is the key to destroying the Dark One."

"Regina's voice."

"No," the other soldier replied and looked at her worriedly, "Are you alright? Are you seeing things?"

"I swear it was real, Graham," Emma answered, "I heard her as I'm hearing you. Loud and clear."

"Maybe, it's the Dark One playing with your head."

"Maybe..." she said, even though she didn't agree with him. It was Regina and Emma not only heard her voice but felt her presence too. Underneath her armor, she felt the Star Tear buzzing and warming against her chest. Oddly enough, she felt calm and protected, not the other way around. She didn't know how it was possible, but she knew it was not the Dark One's doing.

They kept on walking, not finding any obstacle nor soldiers on their way. As they got closer to their destination, the tunnel was getting narrower and creepier, and it reeked of death.

At the end of the tunnel, there was a door. There was nothing special about the wooden item. Maybe it was meant to look simple and ordinary; no one would suspect it was the entrance to the Dark One's castle. It opened with no resistance, as if someone was waiting for them.

"It has been remarkably easy. Like, way too easy to open the door," Graham commented in a suspicious tone. Emma could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"We've already come this far," Emma shrugged. "Might as well lurk around," she added, even though every inch of her body was screaming at her to make a hasty retreat.

The castle was empty, and it seemed as if no one had inhabited the place in a long time. Emma trailed her fingers over a table and dust covered her fingertips. She looked around for signs of life. If the Dark One was hiding in this place, there had to be proof that he had been there.

But there wasn't. The castle was quiet and covered in dust. Nothing had been touched in years.

"I don't think anyone lives here," Graham pointed out what Emma was thinking.

"Do you think it was a trap to…"

Before she could finish the sentence, Graham jumped and tackled her to the ground.

"What the fuck, Graham?" she asked angrily. Then, she looked at the place where she was standing and saw an axe wedged in the ground. Graham saved her life.

She stood as fast as she could and took her father's sword out.

"The Dark One doesn't like trespassers," a voice, which sounded more like a growl, notified them.

"Well, I don't like assholes who bring the dead back to life and use them to scare my people," the blonde answered, because she was not one to stay quiet.

Whoever threw the axe at them decided to ignore Emma's statement and gave them one final warning, "Leave or prepare to die."

Emma looked at Graham, who also had his sword in hand. He nodded at her before saying, "I think today is a good day to die."

As if the voice was waiting for their permission to materialize, as soon as Graham spoke, a figure started to come out of the shadows. "Very well," it said as it approached them.

They both raised their swords and positioned themselves in a fighting pose. But, when the figure reached the light that filtered through the window, Emma lowered her sword. She couldn't believe her eyes and who she saw that was a few feet away. The materializing form of the opponent was of a familiar person.

"Is that...?" Graham's question died as he tried to ask. He had seen a painting of the man standing in front of them at the Swan Castle. But, Graham never thought he'd see him again with his own eyes.

"Yes, that's my father," she answered. She knew with certainty, even though she was a baby when her father died, she grew up, surrounded by paintings of him and hearing stories of him.

She felt her heart stop as she realized what she had to do to get to the Dark One. She has to kill her own father. In his own sadistic manner, the Dark One brought him back because no one from the Swan family dared to kill their hero.

"Father, don't make us hurt you," Emma tried to reason with him, "He did this to you, please let us by and kill him so that we can end this."

"He brought me back to life," Emma's father replied; his voice started to sound more human and less animalistic now.

"Do you call this a life?" she argued, "You are nothing but his slave. I've heard stories about you! You would have never wanted to live like this!"

"I never wanted to die either!" he roared, "I didn't get to see you grow up because of this! And for what? For nothing!"

"You died for her!" Graham stepped up, "You died so that Emma could grow in a peaceful world, in a world that's good because of you and your noble sacrifice."

The older man seemed to think about it. He looked at his daughter, who was a few days old when he last saw her. Something that resembled a crooked smile appeared on his face.

"I only wanted for you to be loved," the old man admitted, lowering his sword. Emma took it as a sign of his surrender and walked towards him.

"And I was," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am," she corrected herself, "I have my family and friends, and I found a beautiful woman whom I can't wait to go back to."

She ignored his frightening appearance and placed a hand on her father's cheek. Because, even though he was an undead, he was the father she never knew. He was the hero of all her stories. "And I always felt your love, your guidance, as I grew up and became the daughter you'd be proud of."

"I am proud of you," her father looked into Emma's eyes, and even though he was already dead, Emma could see life in them, "I was not there to see your first step or to patch up your first wound. But, I am here to help you defeat the Dark One."

"You.. You'll help us?" Emma asked, because a few minutes ago, he was defending the castle of their enemy, "Why?"

"I forgot the reason that I died for. But your friend reminded me," he answered as he looked at Graham.

Suddenly, the things around them started to freeze and the air crisped as it did during winter. Against her will, Emma's body shuddered, but her gut told her it was not because of the cold.

"Isn't this a tearful reunion?" a burlesque voice commented. "The child of the White Knight, came to kill me, the Dark One!" a creepy giggle echoed on the walls.

And suddenly, a man with the skin of a crocodile was standing in front of Emma. He didn't need an introduction, everyone from her kingdom and all of the kingdoms around grew up hearing of the crocodile-skinned man that would take them away if they didn't behave.

"Well, dearie, let's see what you're made of."

The Dark One had Emma flying through the air before the blonde could even reach for her sword and prepare to fight. She landed, or more accurately, crashed on a banquet table, which split from the force of Emma's landing.

Without letting out a sound of complain, because she wouldn't give the satisfaction to the Crocodile, she stood up and took her sword out of its sheath,

In front of her, the Dark One flicked his wrist and a rope appeared. It started to slide like snake along Graham's body, strangling him. Quickly, Emma took the dagger out of her boot and threw it, aiming for the Dark One's wrist and nearly missing it. The barely nicked skin was enough of a distraction for the Crocodile to loosen the rope.

"You little scum!" The Dark one let out and directed his attention to Emma. Behind him, Emma's father helped Graham up. "I'll show you what happens to those who hurt me," he added, but instead of launching towards her, he brought Graham close to him and plunged his hand into the soldier's chest.

Emma watched in horror as the Crocodile took Graham's heart out. A vile smile appeared in his face.

"Beautiful thing, isn't it?" he asked, but he didn't wait for her answer. "The heart of a hero always shines as bright as the stars," he commented, studying the beating organ on his hands. "It's a shame that hearts are so delicate," he pointed out as he started to squish the red item.

Graham fell to the floor and started gasping in pain.

"Stop!" Emma yelled, even though she knew that the Dark One was not one to give mercy to his victims, "I'll do anything. But spare him, please!"

"Emma, no!" her father screamed, but the Dark One had already made his mind.

"Curious thing, right?" he laughed. "What loyalty and friendship do to a person," he added, disgust painting his voice. "Fine, your heart for his."

"Emma, stop!"

But, Emma ignored her father. "Deal!" she said as she dropped her sword and walked towards the Dark One. She was certain she would share her father's destiny: die for the greater good. It was quite poetic, to die at the hands of the same man who was responsible for her father's death.

The Dark One giggled as he placed Graham's heart into his chest and kicked the weakened man aside.

Emma walked to the crocodile skinned man with a decided pace. She knew what had to be done. In the corner of her eye, she caught her father trying to move towards her, but he seemed glued to the floor, probably the Dark One's doing.

The words Regina had whispered to her in the tunnels echoed in her head once again, "Use the Star Tear, my love." Emma knew by now, that she was probably imagining Regina's voice, that it was just an illusion her body had made up so she wouldn't feel alone as she marched towards her death. But it helped. Because with Regina by her side, she was stronger and braver.

"Your stupidity exceeds your father's," The Dark One laughed as he inserted his hand through Emma's chest, making it as mundane as grabbing something from a kitchen cabinet.

Emma felt his scaly fingers reach and surround her heart. And it took her a great amount of her control not to shudder. This was not the time to let emotions rule over reason.

"I don't know if I'm as stupid," she barely managed to say as she wrapped a hand around his wrist to keep him close to her. "But I know I'm as brave," she added before reaching the Star Tear that hung between her armor and her chest.

She pulled the rock off, and plunged it into the Dark One's chest. The movement had been instinctual, as if the rock guided Emma's hand. The blonde was equally shocked, disgusted, and amazed when she felt her fist getting into contact with the Crocodile's heart.

The Dark One tried to pull away, but Emma held him tightly to her chest. She found an inner strength which she didn't know she even possessed and it overpowered the Dark One's own strength.

After penetrating the Dark One's heart with the Star tear, she held it in place, clueless of what she should do next. But she held the star in the heart. Even as the Dark One yelled and started to shake in her hands. A light came out of him, first through his mouth, then eyes, ears and nose, until he bursted and the light became almost blinding.

Emma held her fist close, even long after the presence of the Dark One's hand was no longer in her own chest. She felt no trace of the Dark One after that beam as she stood there.

"Emma, you did it!" Graham yelled, but he sounded distant.

She fell to her knees, it was then she felt strong arms wrapping her into a tight hug. She couldn't see, but she knew it was her father's arms that kept her anchored to the world.

"You were so brave, my little girl, so brave," he whispered softly into her ear, "I'm so proud of you, of the person you've become."

Emma wrapped her hands around her father's arms, because she could hear an unspoken goodbye in his tone.

"It's time for me to leave, Emma," he said, as if he was reading her thoughts, "This land is not for the dead, and we both know that."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll always be here," he said, tapping the part of the armor that covered her heart, "Now, go back to the people love you, to Regina."

Emma nodded, her sight clearing just in time to see her father one more time before he disappeared into thin air. "Good bye, father," she said to no one, because a part of her believed that her father's spirit will always be with her.

After cleaning the tears she didn't know that she shed, she stood up. Graham was waiting for her a couple of meters away, looking as beaten as Emma but feeling like a champion. He smiled and she smiled back at him.

"You did it! You killed him."

"We did it, Graham. We did it."

The man shook his head, he knew better than to argue with Emma. Even though he knew that he would be dead if it wasn't for the blonde. The Dark One was dead and it was a victory. He stood still as Emma walked into the tunnel.

"Let's go home, Graham," Emma called for him from a couple of meters ahead of him.

He nodded, even though she couldn't see him. He didn't ask what she meant, he knew that Emma's home was Regina.