Thanks to LadyDV011 and badkidoh for your reviews on the last chapter. I'm so excited to get into the Underworld plot of 5B! I have a lot planned and I hope you all enjoy it! I'm also going to try and update more frequently so be sure to follow/fav this story so you get the alert when a new chapter goes up! Thanks again to all the readers who have stuck with this story for so long!
5x10 Broken Heart/ 5x11 Swan Song (midseason finale)
Fawn and Peter were still on the balcony looking at the stars, particularly the second to the right. He was leaning against the rail, his arms wrapped around her as she leaned into his chest. Then Tootles barged in, he was breathing deeply holding the magic mirror in one hand and a notepad in the other.
"Fawn, Pan, you both really need to hear what's been happening in Storybrooke."
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"Get on with it Captain. That squid ink's going to wear off soon." Zelena said carefully watching Emma.
"Killian please, what are you doing?"
"You took my memories, Swan. You tried to stop me from knowing the truth. And now I'm going to return the favor." He held up a dream catcher and wiped Emma's memory clean. Zelena laughed.
"By the look on your face, it would appear someone needs restraining." She said as she placed the magic blocking cuff on Emma. "There, no more magic for you. Now I assume given my helpfulness you'll allow me to go about my business undeterred?" She asked turning to Hook.
"As long as you don't get in my way I won't get in yours."
"Oh, I like this new you. Tell me how does it feel to be a Dark One?"
"It feels like I've been reborn."
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"What do you mean there are two Dark Ones?" Peter demanded.
"Hook almost died in Camelot so Emma turned him into a Dark One using Excalibur." Tootles explained, "But he went dark and killed Merlin so she erased everyone's memories and cast the dark curse Hook had started."
"And Zelena? Her baby?" Fawn asked concerned.
"Both of 'em are fine." Tootles assured her. "She had a baby girl." A small smile appeared on Fawn's face. Peter still looked confused.
"But why would –" Cubby, Don't Ask and Ace ran in before he could finish his question.
"We've got trouble!" Don't Ask yelled.
Peter's leadership instincts immediately kicked in, "What kind of trouble?"
"Dark One's" Ace told him, "Lots of 'em. They appeared out of nowhere while we were on watch."
"What do we do Pan?" Cubby asked nervously clutching his spear. Peter turned to the balcony, he looked like he could see the threat that was coming for them. Fawn had made the boys stay hidden away because she knew none of them, not her and not Peter, who was still finishing his recovery, could take on the new dark Emma. How were they going to protect themselves from an army of Dark One's? If he was concerned Peter didn't show it, he took a deep breath and turned back to the Lost Boys.
"Prepare for battle."
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Regina and Zelena appeared in the clock tower.
"Oh, such a let down. I thought you were gonna use the thingy." Zelena said pointing to the Apprentice's wand in Regina's hand.
"Oh, I am. So you better hang on." The wand glowed purple and Zelena turned to look out the clock face window. A green twister made it's way down main street and broke the clock sucking Zelena in. She grabbed onto the wall shouting at Regina.
"I am not done! You will see me again!" she swore as the twister carried her away. Regina had a smile on her face and shouted back.
"Somewhere over the rainbow! Enjoy Oz witch."
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Peter and Fawn stood outside Hangman's Tree but inside the barrier she had put up. Half of the Lost Boys were in the tree's branches ready to launch their arrows, the other half were waiting inside the tree waiting for Peter to crow, his signal that they were attacking. But a fight was their backup plan, fighting a single Dark One was a suicide mission, but fighting an army of them? Not a wise move. As the hooded figures approached the tree Peter prepared to reinforce the barrier.
"Are you sure you're strong enough for this?" Fawn asked him.
"I have to be." He took a deep breath, readying himself, "They're only here temporarily, if we can keep them out long enough, they'll go look for an easier target." His hand glowed with green magic as he raised it to the barrier, he enhanced it with his own powers and the Dark One's seemed to hesitate. Fawn lifted her hand and used her magic to add another layer to the protection spell. One silhouette stepped forward.
"Nimue." Peter greeted.
She took a moment to look at the barrier then turned to Peter, "That's lovely, trying to keep us stuck out here instead of putting up a fight. How pathetic death has made you Pan."
"Don't talk to him that way." Fawn defended from beside Peter. Nimue turned her fierce stare on her, "Don't talk to me that way."
"Enough." Peter intervened, "Leave now, Nimue. Find your victims somewhere else, or I'll send you back to hell."
"Hmm." Nimue seemed amused as she looked into the treetops picking out the hidden Lost Boys among the leaves. Then her gaze returned to Peter.
"Other than the fairy you have no one Pan. No one who cares about you Malcolm. Who do you have? Other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one."
"If you or your Dark Ones touch any of them I'll –"
"You'll what?" she challenged, "Come out of the barrier and face me you little coward!"
Peter took a step forward his eyes blazing with green fire when Fawn put a hand on his arm, "She's goading you. She's seen your history with Hook that's how she knows what to say to get under your skin." She whispered in his ear, "Don't let your impulsive nature be the thing that keeps you from being truly great. Don't let another Dark One manipulate you – prove you're greater than all of them, Peter."
He gave another dark glare to Nimue before stepping back to his original spot. Fawn was right, the last time a Dark One monologued at him it was Rumple before he drove the dagger into his back. If he had refused to listen to his son's lecture and simply struck that day might have ended in his victory instead of with his death. The original Dark One shrugged, "Have it your way then."
She vanished into the dark but the others that came with her moved forward. When the shadowy figures reached the wall of magic they tried to push through, the magic bent like pressing on rubber, but it stayed solid, it didn't let them in. One frightened Lost Boy shot an arrow and it went right through one of the bodies. If these Dark One's couldn't be physically injured then this barrier was their only chance. Peter was starting to look tired as he channeled his strength into keeping the barrier up, his forehead was sweaty and he was breathing deeper but his eyes still glowed with determination. Fawn took her free hand and held his using some of her magic to heal him, Peter intertwined their fingers as a silent thank you.
Amber cracks began to appear in the barrier, starting from where the Dark One's hands met the magic and spreading outward until the front of the barrier looked like a large amber web. The first layer shattered as the broken pieces faded away. The Dark Ones moved onto the next layer the one Peter and Fawn had just put up together. It bent like the first and Fawn prayed it held but the Dark One's were only here temporarily and the time they needed to break the barrier's second layer was time they didn't have.
Obviously Nimue had been hoping she'd succeed in drawing Peter out, instead her failure had only cost her and her companions precious time. As their clock began to run out the Dark One's vanished. First it was only a few then more and more left their home, off to find weaker victims. When the last had gone Peter fell into Fawn's side. She held him up steady so he wouldn't injure his pride in front of the boys. A wounded ego would take longer to heal than any cut or broken bone. Cheering could be heard inside the tree as the Lost Boys celebrated their small victory, it made Fawn nostalgic for the war games they used to have between Peter's Lost Boys and Tigerlily's tribe. She helped Peter to the door, he took a few more deep breaths before standing tall on his own and walking inside.
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Everyone Snow, Charming, Robin, Regina, Henry, Rumple, Hook, Emma and every Dark One was gathered.
"No." Emma stood up to Nimue, the original Dark One, "You are not taking the people I love."
"I might not be able to kill you but I can stop you from interfering." Nimue said choking Emma.
"That's enough." Hook said watching Emma suffer.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Being the man I want to be."
"You can't stop us."
"Yes I can." Hook held up Excalibur and sucked all the Dark One's into it. The blade glowed red as it absorbed the dark magic. Emma looked shocked.
"Killian, you can't do this." She said with tears in her eyes.
"We both know there's no other way love. We have to hurry." He grunted, " The darkness won't stay trapped in Excalibur much longer, take it."
"No." she wept.
"You have to help me Swan. Take it."
"I can't, it should be me."
"Your family needs you, if anyone deserves to go to the Underworld it's me. You're right, I was weak, so let me make up for it now by being strong."
"I don't want to lose you."
"And I don't want to lose you, but you have to let me go. Let me die a hero. That's the man I want you to remember, please."
Emma took the blade as it shook with power.
"I love you." She whispered kissing Hook one final time.
"I love you too. It's okay."
Tears ran down her face as she drove Excalibur through Hook's body. In a bright flash of blue light Emma was returned to her normal self, red jacket and all. She pulled Excalibur out of Hook's chest, now coated with his blood. The blade disintegrated in her hand and she tried to hold Hook up as he fell.
"No, no,no. . . " she cried as she laid him down in the grass sobbing into his shoulder.
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Tootles found Fawn and Pan in the kitchen, he had his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him. Ace sat across from them with Slightly next to him as they all ate pastries that Thud had baked. They were all laughing and smiling as Ace talked about the almost battle.
"And when he shot that arrow and it went right through one of 'em you should've seen the look on his face! I swear he almost wet himself!"
"I did not!" Slightly denied. When the Lost Boys saw Tootles enter he tilted his head to the doorway signaling them to leave. They immediately followed the order and got up, Fawn and Peter now looking at him.
"Hook is dead. Nimue was hurting Emma to keep her from interfering. Seeing her in pain snapped Hook out of it and he let Emma kill him to destroy the darkness."
The next morning Fawn woke up with Peter's arm around her, his head buried in her hair.
"Good morning."
"Mmmm." He mumbled back. She rolled over to face him.
"What's wrong?"
He looked her right in the eye, "It just doesn't make sense. We both use dark magic, and if all darkness is destroyed shouldn't we have felt something?"
Fawn considered his words, "I'll get Tootles, see if there's been anything important he's seen."
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Emma was in the pawnshop looking twitchy when Rumple walked in.
"Now you see, this isn't the library. Or Granny's or some bus station Miss Swan. This is my shop and unless the sign says open, you're not invited."
"I think I was invited, I hear whispering. It's the dagger, it's calling to me."
"You're upset, imagining things."
"No I'm not, it's here isn't it? You have it don't you?"
Rumple looked at her for a long time before reaching under the counter and pulling out a long package wrapped in cloth.
"Yes I do." He said pulling out the dagger. The name Rumplestiltskin carved into it once again.
"You're the Dark One. . . again." she said in shock.
"Yeah, how tough to keep that secret? Wasn't expecting you to hear it, but then most ex-Dark One's are dead."
"How is this possible?"
"When you came to me asking for the sword I saw an opportunity. A chance I'd never imagined would present itself again. As fate would have it a small vile of magic was close at hand. One sprinkle, and I knew I could get it all back. I turned the sword into a conduit, so that while Hook thought he was destroying the darkness, he was actually moving it. Channeling it, someplace safe."
"Into you."
"He had no idea and now, things are as they should be."
"Hook sacrificed himself and you took that from him." Emma tried to strike Rumple but his magic stopped her.
"Do you honestly think that you can hurt me? I now have the combined power of every Dark One who ever lived, including you."
"You found a loophole, betrayed us all again."
"It's what I do. It's the man I am."
"Well then Dark One, now that you have your power back, you're going to do something for me."
"And why would I do anything for you?"
"Because I still have magic, and I bet I can get to Belle and tell her everything before you can kill me."
"Don't test me." He warned.
"Don't. Test. Me. You really want to take that chance? That she will once again know the kind of man you really are?"
"What do you want Miss Swan?"
When the image in the transformed full length mirror faded the trio looked shocked. Tootles was sitting on the desk looking at the ground, Fawn was on the edge of the bed playing with her fingers. Rumple was now more powerful then ever, how were they supposed to get their revenge now? Peter was leaning against the nightstand with a scowl on his face, his arms crossed still looking at the mirror.
"It's like I said Rumple has run out of tricks and is just repeating an endless cycle of trust and betrayal. That makes him predictable which we can use to our advantage."
The mirror rippled again this time revealing Snow and Charming's kitchen.
"You're going to hell?" Snow asked her daughter.
"The Underworld." She corrected.
"That's quite a distinction." Charming said.
"I'm getting him back. This isn't fair to Killian. Gold tricked him everything he gave up was based on a lie."
"Emma you know how this works it's a one for one trade. To get him back someone else will have to die."
"And you just got back from being the Dark One, you can't give into darkness again."
"I won't. I'm giving into love. I'm doing this right, I learned my lesson, I'm taking a page out of your book. You two share a heart, so will we."
"It could work." Regina spoke up.
"It will work." Emma said hopefully.
"Forgive me if I'm missing the obvious but, um, how does one get to the Underworld?" Robin asked, "You know, without dying, preferably."
"We need Gold." Emma told him.
Fawn waved her hand and the mirror returned to its natural state. She stood from the bed as inspiration struck.
"We should follow them." She said going to her closet and getting her satchel.
"Beg pardon?" Peter said looking confused.
"We should follow them to the Underworld." She said again. "Tootles can take care of things here, if all the heroes are going there shouldn't be any trouble, he can handle it." She turned to the Lost Boy, "Can't you?"
"Uh-"
"I just got back from the Underworld, I'm not really in a rush to go back, love."
"Peter-" she walked over to him.
"Walking into the Underworld of your own free will? It's like committing suicide, you'll be literally walking into death."
Fawn took his hands in hers, "But to die would be an awfully big adventure."
He took a moment looking into her pleading eyes but behind the emotion he could see the wheels in her head turning. She was plotting something and it had been too long since their last scheme. He took a deep breath.
"Let's get the hell out of here."