You know I had to take a shot at "emma tastes the darkness" before next week...! Part 2 up tomorrow night probably... Just need to finish editing.
I've seen a few dark Emma fics but they often start in the middle or explain her darkness with a curse. I wanted to explore a more natural progression. Enjoy.
"Emma please-"
"Yes?" Snow stopped speaking abruptly as though she hadn't expected to get any further. "Please tell me why you thought it was a good idea to lie to me. To withhold pertinent information from me. To pretend-" Emma took a deep breath and clenched her shaking hands.
She felt a light pressure as Killian put his hand on the small of her back. "Love, why don't we go get a hot chocolate, talk about this later."
Emma pulled away, her gaze still fixed on her parents. "You're no different from them."
Snow gaped and Charming stepped forward, "That's not fair, Emma. We were only trying to protect you-"
"And she wasn't? She was trying to protect her child too, wasn't she," Emma fumed, flinching away as Killian rubbed gently in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting.
She could feel the magic dancing along her skin as her anger grew. "You're just like them. You just won. The villains... they're just one's that lose. They don't lose because they're villains... they're villains because they lost."
"Emma, that's not true" Killian interrupted, trying to move closer, but she matched each step forward with one back.
"All this nonsense about a savior," Emma laughed scornfully, "it's just a way to keep me under control. You need something from me. You need my magic. Just like they did. My foster parents took me because it got them a lunch ticket. You want so much more."
"Emma, sweetheart-" Snow implored, but Emma had already turned. Killian reached for her and missed, but he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. Not this time. He hurried after her, catching her arm when he finally caught up with her. She shook him off, one hand on the car door.
"I'm done, Killian. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm done being their precious savior and I'm done talking to them."
"Aye," Killian responded carefully. "Let me come with you?"
Emma hesitated, and she watched his face fall at her resistance. Finally she looked over her shoulder. Her parents were catching up. She threw one hand out and they froze in place unable to move another step.
"You'll just follow me, won't you?" she asked, turning back to Killian.
"Aye."
"I could freeze you here, just like them."
"Aye," he replied again, "but then I'd help them find you."
She raised an eyebrow, "you think you could?"
He shrugged, "Doesn't matter, I'd have to try."
Finally Emma glanced over at her parents then back to him.
"Get in," she said gruffly. "One word about them and I'll poof you out the window, understand?"
He nodded, letting go of her arm and moving around the front of the car to the passenger side. She didn't lock the door, or run him down as he crossed, so that was ... something.
The car was eerily quiet. He wasn't used to the quiet, but Emma was inside her own head and seemed to hardly notice he was there.
"Where are we going?" He asked finally.
"I need to think."
"Are you unable to think in this contraption?"
"So what do you want?"
Killian raised his eyebrows, "A hamburger wouldn't be turned down."
"What do you want from me? There are easier lays."
For a moment he was taken aback by the abruptness of her question. "I just want to help."
"No one just wants to help. So what is it you want?"
"Swan-"
"Don't do that, just... You know what, fine. Keep your secrets. Apparently that's what were all good at."
Silence reigned again and Killian leaned back, just watching her pointedly ignore him. Finally Emma reached a spot she liked, somewhere near the town line and stopped the car. She casually flicked her hand and a semi transparent shield settled over them.
He turned to the window after a minute spoke. "She made a deal with the dark one for the power to destroy me." Emma spared him an enquiring glance and he continued. "It was her brother. He had ... information, a way to track the dark one. Or he said he did so I took him aboard. Turns out he was just in search of information himself. He was seeking the path to Neverland. I don't... like being lied to."
"What happened to him?"
"Caught him digging through my papers, figured he was one of the Dark One's spies. I ... I sent him to the locker."
"Just like that?" Emma asked.
"I was... an ... impatient man." Killian said quietly.
"So you made the sea witch?"
"Her name was Vanessa then," Killian said. "When she found out what I'd done she sought out the Dark One. She wanted the ability to follow me wherever I should go and drag me, ship crew and all, into the abyss. As you might imagine. the Crocodile happily obliged her fancy."
Emma chuckled to herself and Killian's eyebrows furrowed. "I told you Killian. It doesn't matter, you did what you had to do."
"No, Swan. I did what was easy," he retorted. She shrugged and Killian reached for her hand, he clasped it tightly but she didn't return his grip. "What you said earlier-"
"I don't want to talk about this."
"Swan, please just listen-" Suddenly he felt a buzzing in his skin, like when your hand goes numb, or the phantom pain that struck him in the late hours of the night... but everywhere just for a moment. And then he was standing out on the road. The bug was nowhere in sight.
"Emma?... EMMA?" he cried. "I know you can hear me love, don't do this." He paced back and forth in agitated exasperation. "Fine love, if you don't want to talk we won't talk. Just don't ... don't leave."
A split second later he was back in the bug and he sighed in relief. "You've gotten very good with your magic," he commented.
"I'm not afraid of it anymore."
"That's good, love."
"I'm not going to be their savior anymore, Killian. I'm tired of always worrying about everyone else's happiness, when they don't give a damn about mine. I won't be the one that loses."
Killian sat silent, unsure of what he could say that wouldn't get him forcibly ejected from the vehicle.
"And what's your happy ending, Swan?"
She looked pensive for a time before speaking. "Henry should never have had to grow up without his mother. When I first met him... he felt as unloved as I always had. He deserved better."
"But now he has a family."
"He has more family then he needs. I won't wait for them to find a way to use him too. I'll fix it. Zelena's problem was that she tried to change too much. Too many unpredictable repercussions. If I changed something small... Something recent, like drinking that potion."
Killian's stomach jumped into his throat, "in New York?" he asked, voice far more steady than he felt.
"Then it would just be us, in New York. We were happy there."
"It wasn't real-"
"It could be." She finally seemed to notice he was there and saw the look on his face. "Oh don't worry...New York isn't so bad Killian, who knows you might fit right in."
"Swan you wouldn't remember me... or anyone without that potion."
"I don't want to remember anyone." She turned into her seat and reached out to cup his cheek. "Oh come on Killian, afraid you won't be able to make an impression without your botched true loves kiss?"
He smiled half-heartedly, at a sudden loss for words. "You're angry, love. Give yourself some time before you make any dr-"
Emma laughed and turned away, "I'm beyond angry," she grumbled, "and I've made my decision. I need to talk to someone that knows about magic."
"Like Regina?"
Emma smiled, "somehow I don't think she'll want to assist me. I need to speak with Maleficent."
Killian's jaw dropped. "The she-beast? Really do you think that's w-"
"Don't worry I'll protect you from you're tentacled friend." With a sudden rush of energy she pushed open the car door.
"Maleficent," she called. "I know you can hear me. I want to talk to you."
There was a rumbling sound and Killian hurried from the car grabbing Emma's wrist as a black column of smoke materialized in front of the car.
"Emma, dear, it is rude to summon someone and then not show yourself," the witch said.
"Swan, don't do this. Please-"
Emma ignored him, waving her hand and the transparent shield rippled and expanded to encompass Maleficent too.
"There you are dear, how may I be of assistance?"
"I know you don't want to help me. You want justice, I can give it to you."
"Really?"
"Yes, but I need your help."
"And why should I trust you. Does deception run in the family?"
"I'm not a liar, not like them."
Maleficent nodded approvingly. "What is it you want from me, dear?"
"I want to go back. I think the key is subtle changes. But If I can change one thing, then my parents have to live apart from me and my son forever. Isn't that what you want?"
"Indeed," Maleficent observed, "it is only justice. But even if I could...changing the past is tricky."
"Zelena was able to do it."
"Zelena failed. The past is in the past dear, why not just change the present?"
Emma raised her eyebrows suspiciously and Maleficent continued. "You don't need to run from them dear. You're the one with magic. They should run from you."
"Regina has magic too," Emma replied.
"You are the product of true love, I can help you unlock your potential. You can take your son, and banish anyone you don't want. This can be your world, Emma. You just have to take it."
To Killian's horror, Emma just smiled. "You can show me how to control more magic?"
"I can."
"When do we start?"
"Right now. You've used magic before, but you're limiting yourself."
"I'm not limiting myself," Emma retorted, "I just can't always control it."
"Your magic is tied to your emotions. And you're only using one emotion. You must learn to use all of your emotions. Your anger will give you power that the positive emotions can never unlock. Focus on your anger, see what happens."
Emma closed her eyes and almost immediaptely an electric crackling started humming through the air. "Swan?" Killian said warningly.
Sparks began to dance across her skin and a power line above them burst and fell, crackling towards them, Killian dove towards Emma on instinct, shoving her out of the way of the falling wire. When his skin touched hers though a burst of flames ripped up his skin. He was frozen in place for a moment before he was shoved back by a wave of energy. He landed hard on the pavement. Emma seemed to come out of her trance and she shook her head slightly.
"Wow... that was incredible," she murmured.
Maleficent smiled. "Keep practicing dear, you'll be unstoppable." Then she was gone, leaving them alone in the street. Emma finally seemed to notice Killian as he struggled to stand, muscles still a little unstable. He glanced down at his hand and saw a deep red burn that traced its way up his forearm. He rubbed it gingerly, wondering exactly how far it went.
"Hook, that was incredible," she repeated. "I had no idea I could do that!" Killian limped over to her and she cocked her head to one side, "you ok?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Been worse," he replied, "You should be careful, love, that kind of power... it's unpredictable.
Emma waved him off, leaning against the bug and watching the sparks that still played over her fingers.
He reached out and touched her arm gently, it tingled but he didn't get shocked again. "Emma, you're messing with something dangerous."
Emma pulled her arm away. "You too? You're all afraid of what I can do!"
"I'm afraid that you'll hurt yourself. He raised his arm, shoving up the coat sleeve so she could see the marks she'd left on his arm, "you don't know how to control this yet, Emma. You need to be more careful."
"You need to not touch me while I'm working." He dropped his coat sleeve back over the burns, shocked into silence yet again. Finally he moved closer, touching her cheek gently. He leaned in and kissed her softly, praying perhaps he could remind her of who she was only a few hours ago. To his surprise she leaned in and grabbed his lapels, pulling him forward and deepening the kiss. She pulled him flush against her, pressing back into the hood of the bug.
"You know what's great about this energy field, pirate?" she asked, pausing to bite his lip gently. Killian swallowed hard, he was pretty sure he knew. His arms seemed to tighten around her of their own accord and she grinned up at him. "Finally getting some privacy."
He let out a low groan as she pushed her hips up into his. "Swan-" he growled.
"Problem pirate?" she asked innocently.
"Lass, please-"
"Please what, Hook?"
There were any number of ways he wanted to end that sentence but he clenched his jaw shut and didn't say any of them. Emma let out a little huff of frustration and pulled him forward by the lapels again. He met her kiss with equal intensity, her sudden passion demanding and intoxicating.
"I know you want me," she growled in his ear, shooting sparks of an entirely different variety through him. "I can feel it. "
"Swan- he started again.
"You could have me, Hook, right here. We could... christen my vessel. I've already replaced the windshield once..." Emma pressed her hips upwards again, smirking as his eyes drifted shut. Killian was at war with himself, his mind yelled at him to move back, to step away, but his fingers only tightened their grip on her hip.
"Not like this," he whispered, "not because you're angry and half drunk with whatever the hell you just did."
"Such a gentleman," she mocked, "And yet... you've still got me pinned to this car. Perhaps you're not so much the gentleman after all." She dropped her lips to his neck sucking hard until she was sure it would bruise. His breath caught in his throat in a strangled sound as her lips rose to his ear again, "I want you," she whispered.
With an abrupt violent motion Killian ripped himself away, stumbling back a few steps. He turned away from her running his hand through his hair in frustration. "This isn't you," he muttered to himself, to her, she wasn't really sure.
Emma scoffed, "How the hell do you know?"
He turned back to her, closing the distance again and kissing her cheek. She turned into the kiss biting his lip and trying to draw him forward again but Killian pulled back, keeping the kiss soft and light. Finally Emma shoved him away in frustration.
"I have work to do-"
WHat did you think, feel free to tell me your headcanon to all this dark emma forshadowing they're teasing us with!
