Penance is a Sacrifice

Chapter Fourteen

When Snow entered the room to announce that Blue and Regina had both arrived to help Killian, Belle turned her head as she sadly looked down on the frail boy, who was really one of her closest friends still lying unconscious in the bed before her, then she walked over to stand beside Gold and took Gideon into her arms to hold him so her husband could do what he needed to do for him too. Emma sat again in the chair at her own husband's bedside while her parents stood behind her, prepared to offer their support to their daughter for when she needed them.

"I'm so sorry this has happened, Emma," the Blue Fairy said quietly while she approached the bed and then slowly waved her hands over Killian before she laid one hand down over his chest and the other across his forehead to try to sense the dark magic inside of him. "The magic's hold on him I'm afraid is definitely strong. I can sense the darkness inside of him. Do you still have the dagger?"

"I have it," Gold replied, as he pulled the blade from his inside coat pocket, then handed it over to the fairy. "I hoped to be able to get a better sense of the magic used. It's unlike anything I've ever sensed before."

Blue took it from him, then roamed her magic wand over the dagger as she spoke again saying, "Gold's right. Although, I sense a familiarity between it and the magic used to turn August back into a real boy like you thought. My magic worked because it sensed August was selfless, brave, and true. This magic used to turn Hook into a boy is similar, yet… Because this magic is dark, it worked because unfortunately, a darkness still resides within Hook despite all he's done to become the hero he is, as I sense there's a part of him that still hasn't fully forgiven himself for the villain he used to be. A part of him that cannot let go of the sins of his past."

The Savior grasped Killian's hand that wasn't bound in a splint tightly within her own and laid her forehead down on top of his in hope of offering him some comfort, while Regina answered despondently, "It's difficult to let go of the terrible things we've done as villains."

"If this is really how the other Rumplestiltskin intended for his spell over the dagger to work, then why did he think George would be able to use it to turn me back into a boy… since I was his initial target?" David asked as he looked between the Blue Fairy and Gold. "I wasn't ever a villain. Unless you can count the time when we were all trapped within Isaac's alternate reality."

"Have you ever done something you deeply regret?" Gold asked the Prince when he turned to look over at him. "Something perhaps… so dark and against your nature that you have been unable to forgive yourself for?"

David sadly looked down on Killian again, then looked between his daughter and his wife when he remorsefully responded, "What's happened to Hook… it's my fault. There's something I never told either of you. That I've never told anyone. Hook said it was something we could keep between us and that he wouldn't ever talk about it with anyone unless I was ready to share it. But I should have told you sooner."

Emma raised her head as she stared up at her father as she asked, "Dad… what are you talking about?"

"Months ago, I… I made the choice to find out the truth about how my father died and who killed him," he quietly began, as he at last shared his own secret he had been too ashamed to admit to those he loved. "I did admit that to you when you… Emma, confronted me about Hook being the one who had killed him. And to you too Snow. But what I didn't tell you was how I dragged Hook into helping me with my investigation using the coin the Evil Queen had given me and I kept on throwing the fact he was a pirate in his face, and that he shouldn't care about helping me gain my own revenge against whoever did it. This was before… before Hook learned himself he'd been the one who killed my father. I treated him unfairly, yet Hook helped me anyway. I confronted George about putting my father in the position he was back when Hook found him and killed him. I went down to his cell beneath the hospital and tossed a knife at George's feet to force him to fight me, so that I could have an excuse for killing him. I was angry and that night… I wanted my revenge against George. I wanted to kill him. But Hook interfered then too and he stopped me from making that terrible mistake. He forgave me, but I suppose… I haven't been able to forgive myself for it. I regret that I was willing to kill out of revenge, but I hated myself that I put Hook in that position. Even more so since last night now that this has happened to him. God… Emma, I… I'm not sure what I can say or do to… I'm so sorry."

"You might not have told anyone about this until now, but Rumplestiltskin has somehow learned about what happened between you and King George that night and planned to use your regret and hate for that man against you, as he's done to Hook instead," Blue replied out of remorse, when Emma didn't say anything to her father in return. "The guilt you're feeling most certainly would have been enough."

The Savior looked again towards the fairy as she asked, "Can you reverse the magic? Is there anything you can do to help Killian?"

She shook her head while she regrettably answered, "I'm afraid not."

"Not even I'm capable of reversing the spell's effect," the Dark One responded when he reached out to take the knife back from the Blue Fairy. "I spent most of last night testing many different kinds of magic and potions I possess in my shop to try to destroy the dark magic my other self cast over this dagger. It isn't blood magic and like I said, it's unlike anything I've seen before. It isn't a magic created here in our world."

"It must have been something he brought from the Wish Realm," Regina replied in frustration, as she crossed her arms and looked between the Charmings and Killian too, feeling her own sense of regret for setting the darker of Dark Ones free from his imprisonment in the first place.

However, much to everyone's surprise, Aladdin and Jasmine entered the room as the Princess stated, "Actually… it isn't. I'm sorry for interrupting. That dagger comes from Agrabah. It was stolen when Rumplestiltskin invaded our kingdom. Or at least… we thought he did."

They looked at Gold in confusion until Regina questioned, "Not that we're not happy to see you again, but what brought you back to Storybrooke? And how did you know we'd be here in the hospital?"

"That's a long story," Aladdin answered quietly while he stared down at the boy on the bed. "We're sorry we've come too late to stop him. Who did the Dark One infect with the dagger?"

"It's Hook," David curtly responded, though his anger was geared at himself. "Tell us everything."