Author's Note: So I've been asking why the Dark Swan hasn't been up to much proper villainy and I guess it's because she's not really had that sort of motivation. Now anger and revenge on the other hand? That's something that fuels some truly classic dark villains. Bring on the Dark Captain. Set immediately after Birth 5x08.

…..

Whatever Emma had done to them, wore off as suddenly as it had started. They didn't miss the new chill in the air or how dark the sky was. Had they lost time again. Whipping out his phone David was met with a stream of messages and missed calls, the cursing from Regina had suggested she had similar notifications on her cell. Emma's house had been an empty shell and they quickly surmised whatever action was taking place had moved back into Storybrooke. Regina had gone straight back to the hospital and after a tense argument, David got Mary Margaret to agree to go back to the loft with Neal while he checked out the panicked messages on his phone.

Pushing the door open they rushed in to set up a base of operations, distracted by the worries for their daughter plaguing their minds.

"Ah there you are Your Highnesses."

"Hook!" David said in surprise. The pirate was leaning on the wall by the door. "Where have you been? Do you know what's going on in town? Emma took Zelena and-"

"The witch has gone on her wicked way," Hook said dismissively, slowly locking the front door shut and moving to lean against it. Snow and Charming moved unconsciously closer together, putting Neal between them. Hook glowered at them. "It is truly amazing what a difference knowledge can make," he continued.

"Sorry?" David asked confused by the random statement. He went to move towards the pirate but Snow snagged his sleeve and held him back. There was a strange sharp smell in the air and Hook was setting off way too many warning bells.

"Not yet you're not," Hook said his mouth wide as if telling a cheesy joke. "It's like I was living in a fugue, unaware of myself, but now I know, I know, and the scales have fallen from my eyes." He twirled his fingers in front of his face and his eyes widened, the blue sharp and bright.

"Hook, we don't understand," David said carefully.

"I don't either," the pirate snapped launching himself off the door towards them. They jerked backwards in surprise, but he only came forward a few steps. "How could she do that to me?" he moaned. "I begged her not to, with my dying breath I begged her."

"Your dying breath? I got a call saying you jumped off the clock tower."

"That was hours ago," he said absently. "This is what happens when you waste your time with love. Cora was right. It's nothing but a weakness that they use to destroy you."

"You don't believe that Hook," Snow said earnestly. Hook looked her right in the eye and it was all she could do to not look away. He was livid, so far beyond angry that there may not be adequate words for the look of fury on his face.

"Look at what she's done. Against my will. Knowing it'd hurt me, knowing I wouldn't be able to fight it this time. A true betrayal and she did it anyway, because she wanted to," he hissed. "Now I'm going to do the same to her. Turnabout is fair play."

"What happened Hook?" David demanded losing his patience with the raving man. He had been fine when they'd seen him earlier at the station. He'd been angry and worried about what Emma had said, but that was the natural state for him these days. They hadn't thought anything like this would happen.

"Emma wanted to keep me with her, so now I'm just like her. I'm the villain." There was a soft pop and jet black smoke flowed around the Captain, as it passed his clothes seemed to grow and relax leaving him in dark clothes similar to his usual outfit but looser, with high collar and broad shoulders, rougher, less straight lined military and much more intimidating.

"Hook," Snow gasped in horror at the display of dark magic.

"Ah, that's better. That's how my name is supposed to be said," he cooed. "How have I stood all this time listening to you pompous royals say it like I'm nothing more than a nuisance?"

"What did you mean when you said you'd do the same to Emma? She's already dark," David asked, trying to scan the loft for another exit for Snow and Neal before Hook decided he was bored of talking.

"I'm going to do exactly what she's done to me. I'm going to turn her back into the person she's most ashamed of. The thing she hates the most."

"What's that?"

"An orphan."

The spark started somewhere behind them the strange tang in the air suddenly becoming obvious as the smell of pitch and gunpowder. The kitchen disappeared in roaring flames that devoured the floor and walls, spreading to surround them before they could take a breath. Snow was screaming and David desperately tried to help her shield Neal as the air became thick and bitter with smoke. Then they were stood outside in the fresh cold air, the sudden lack of noise jarring them stupid for a moment.

"I'm sorry."

"Emma," Snow gasped as Emma's magic faded around them. She was still in her tight black clothes, her hair scraped back into the severe bun, but she looked so small and fragile, if Snow could catch her breath she'd have her daughter in her arms already.

"I'm sorry," Emma repeated.

"Emma what is going on?" David asked. Emma's face broke into one of anguish.

"It's my fault, I couldn't lose him, not now, not after everything, not when I was finally going to get the life I deserved. I was alone for my whole life and then I found you, but it was too late, you couldn't fix what was broken." Snow felt her heart shatter to pieces. "But Killian promised, we were going to build a life together, our life. I'd have a house and a family and someone who really loves only me. I was not going to let that go. I will not be alone again."

"Emma." But that was all David could say. His beautiful tragic daughter, what words could possibly be enough? "This happened in Camelot?" He asked, settling for getting more information.

"Arthur wounded him with Excalibur. This was the only way to save him," she said desperately. "But when I found him he was so angry."

"He's pretty angry now," David said, there was only a tiny bite to his words but Emma flinched like he'd screamed at her.

"He...he did such terrible things there but I still couldn't give him up. I had to fix it. If he didn't remember, if he didn't know what happened, then he didn't have any reason to be angry and then I'd have time to get rid of the darkness." Emma looked at them, willing them to understand and they tried, but the stench of smoke clung to them and Neal whimpered in Snow's arms. "Oh god, this is why I couldn't face you."

"Couldn't face us?" Snow asked. "You mean you've been avoiding us because-"

"Because I knew you'd be disappointed in me and I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me too," Emma interrupted desperately. In three strides Snow was wrapping her arms around Emma, Neal now quiet was pressed between them and David joined them holding his family tightly.

"We will never hate you," Snow said firmly. "I'm still trying to understand what happened and I can't promise I won't be angry about your choices but I swear, we swear," she said looking to David. "We are your family and we will never let you be alone again." Tears streamed down Emma's face, but sudden shouting from down the road broke the moment.

"Killian," Emma whispered.

"Can you stop him?" David asked. Emma's mouth formed a thin tight line as she nodded.

….

They raced around the corner, the loft coming into sight, tongues of fire spat from the windows and black smoke billowed into the sky. On the road right in front stood Hook, the orange light disappearing into his dark clothes like he was a black hole. Scattered about the road in front of him were the dwarves, buckets and hoses clutched in their hands halted in their attempt to save Snow's home by the latest Dark One.

"Did you just insult me?" Hook asked them, his voice solid with menace.

"You heard me pirate," Grumpy shouted. "Now get out of our way." He made to shove Hook out of the way but stopped and frowned down at his feet instead. He was stuck to the asphalt, his feet dragging strings of black with him as he tried to lift them. "What the?"

"You know," Hook said in a mock casual voice. "By far my least favourite form of tortuous death has to be tar and feathers, but for you, the mess might actually be worth it." The surface of the road bubbled and rolled, oozing up Grumpy's legs and he gave a strangled cry, the other dwarves leaping forward to pull him free.

"Hook!" Emma shouted and he turned surprise on his face.

"You're alive," he said to Snow and David, ignoring Emma. "I burned your loft for nothing. Well please, consider this a token in honour of your miraculous escape Queen Snow…" He held his arms out and soft white feathers floated down from the sky covering everything in a fluffy white layer and sticking to the dwarves who were still desperately trying to free Grumpy, matting into the tar and twisting into clumps as the thick black liquid reached his neck. Emma blasted Hook with a bright flash of white magic. He staggered and laughed.

"Emma, come on. Ariel has slapped me harder than that," He said.

"Just a warning shot," Emma replied. "You really want to do this now? Over a dwarf?" Hook gave her a smirk so close to his usual flirty teasing but horribly tainted by his cruel anger, that Emma felt her heart breaking all over again. How much pain could she still feel? After a moment of consideration he shrugged, although Emma could see how much effort it took him to appear calm. Then he turned and walked away.

"You're just going to let him leave?" David asked. Emma walked up to Grumpy as the tar closed over his mouth and waved her hand sucking him and the other dwarves out of the road and onto the sidewalk. Grumpy gasped for breath and immediately started complaining trying to tug the leftover clumps of tar and feathers from his clothes and hands.

"Did you think we'd just have a superhero style smackdown in the middle of town?" She asked her father. David looked at his burning home, his friends still lying on the ground and shook his head. What were they going to do?

…

"Crocodile!" Gold sighed. Hadn't he dealt with his pirate quota for the day? Setting down the necklace he'd been appraising he turned and froze at the sight in front of him.

"How?" he asked, staring at the Dark One as he sauntered into the shop. He couldn't have killed Emma could he?

"Ah women, am I right?" Hook shrugged before he dropped all pretense of friendliness. "Shall we finish what we started?" The dark magic rolled off him in waves and set Rumpelstiltskin's teeth on edge. A sword appeared in his hand and he kicked it across the floor to stop at Gold's feet. Gold stooped and picked it up. Hook raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Already doing much better than the first time," he said. "Oh wait, I've gone and got over excited. I have to take your wife first don't I?"

"Belle run!" Gold yelled but she barely took a step before the black clouds swarmed over her and she disappeared. "Where is she?" he shouted.

"On my ship of course. See you soon Rumpel."

…..

The fight was woefully one sided, Hook played with Gold like a cat with a mouse, relishing in every stumble and gasp of fear and pain, but incredibly the pawnbroker got up every time he fell, took another swing each time Hook pushed him back. The pirate's enjoyment was starting to fade, not expecting to have to chase his satisfaction. His nemesis really had changed, grown, become a better man than the coward he had been. A stark and cutting contrast to Hook's own existence. The thought alone made Hook's blood scorch and stoked the unyielding fire that was consuming his mind. He was not going to feel any relief from his old crocodile, might as well finish this and look for beautiful vengeance elsewhere. He raised the sword barely registering it was the mystical blade in his hand and not a simple cutlass.

"Hook, what are you doing?" Henry shouted as he mounted the ship.

"No one steps aboard this deck without an invitation from her Captain." The words should have been teasing and friendly but Henry had spent enough time with Hook to recognise when he was being deadly serious. His foot returned to the gangplank. He looked at the two men on deck, two men he'd put his faith in, two men who were supposed to show him you could overcome the darkness, two men who were supposed to be his family. Why were all the adults always letting him down?

"You broke your promise!" The words tore themselves out of Henry and landed heavily. "You said you gave up vengeance. You said you wouldn't let us down. You said you wouldn't break her heart."

"Break her heart?" Hook repeated. "I gave her everything. My life, my body, my soul. My heart. I trusted her and she destroyed me. Turned me into this despicable thing. Now the only thing I feel is anger. Anger like I've never felt before. The only thing that slakes it is the cold hard satisfaction of vengeance."

"Just let it go, like you did before." Henry challenged.

"That way you look at me, it's your father's face," Hook said softly. "All that defiance and contempt. It makes me want to tear your eyes from your head." Hook took a step forward and Henry staggered back in fear, Gold grabbed his shoulder from where he'd moved behind him, pulling them both over the railing to land heavily on the dock. The Jolly Roger groaned and shook, the moorings snapped and whizzed past their heads as the ship pulled away and raced into the ocean.

"Belle!" Gold called desperately.

"Rumpel!" Gold sighed in relief and climbed to his feet as Belle ran full tilt onto the dock. They grabbed each other, checking for injuries and reassuring themselves they were both OK.

"He locked me in the library, I had to get out through the tunnels. Are you OK? How did he do that? He had magic." Belle demanded, her hands clutching her husband's arms not quite ready to believe he was unhurt.

"He's the Dark One," Emma said appearing behind them. "Come on all of you, I'm not going to tell this more than once."

…..

Author's Note: Phew, I'm sure that's darker than the show will go. Couldn't quite see Hook's clothes in the promo so had a guess. What do you think of my attempt to explain their motivations under the darkness and the tiny plot hole of Killian's 180 personality. He's had trouble controlling his anger before and that little speech about killing people for his rings was probably a hint of things to come. Hope you enjoyed reading.