Coming to Fruition
Piper nearly gasped as she appeared in the middle of Granny's diner, to see Emma and Henry before her but none of the others.
Emma was frowning at her, a little concerned, cutting herself off mid-sentence, having been asking Henry about the sword and where the others were when she appeared, "How did you do that?'
Piper let out a breath, looking at her, "Do what?"
"You appeared," Henry told her, looking equally as shocked, "In black smoke."
"But I didn't summon you," Emma added.
Piper blinked, her mind racing at that fact. She had seen Merlin vanish the others, had been banished with them, she was sure of it, had felt the magic creep around her...but apparently she had come to the diner while they had not…and she had been transported in a far different manner than them. She gasped slightly, feeling that same flutter in her middle and her hand moved to her stomach, her eyes widening as she looked at Henry and Emma.
"You don't think…" Emma began, her eyes just as wide as she looked down at Piper's stomach moments before the woman forced her hand to drop, not knowing where Granny or the others were or when they might appear, unwilling to risk them seeing her in such a state for she had worked too hard, picked her outfits too carefully for them to notice her swell now.
"It is half Dark One," Piper murmured, shaking her head as though to try and deny that was what happened. But that was the problem, she didn't actually know what happened or how.
For a brief moment she felt a flash of terrible fear shoot through her. In a single second it felt like everything crashed over her. She had never been pregnant before, had never had a child, let alone carried a magical child. She had no idea what was normal for a child to accomplish from inside the womb if they were magical and there was no way her child wouldn't be, given its parents. Had her magic affected it? Triggered this? Changed her child? Was it using dark magic, like the Dark One? Or was it merely some sort of Siren magic manifesting differently given it was less Siren than she was? HAD it been the child that had done this, or was it the Darkness in Emma that had felt the danger to the piece of it in her and pulled her away without Emma realizing?
...and if it had been the child, then what? What would it mean? She couldn't control it if it was her child. What if this happened again, around the heroes? With Emma beside her, it could be waved off as Emma's doing but what if it happened when she was alone? What if others saw? What would they do? Heroes had proven they had no qualms tearing darkness out of the unborn, they had no qualms banishing those they deemed a threat across the townline in Storybrooke. What would happen if they saw her child use magic so early? What would happen if they came after her child?
She would kill them all, anyone who dared try to harm her child would have to get past her first.
She felt the fear subside, the resolve kick in, the protective instinct reaffirming itself within her, she could do this.
"No way," Henry's words cut into her racing thoughts, the boy actually smiling, "That's so cool!"
Piper looked up then, feeling the last of the fear vanish as she took in two members of her family standing before her. Yes, she could do this, because she would not be alone. She would have them, and when they returned to Storybrooke, she would have her mate and son with her too. And even if she did not, the heroes would be fools to dare try to harm any Siren's child.
She managed a small laugh at Henry's enthusiasm, at his clear belief it had been her child that had done this magic. Part of her did doubt it, on some level, she doubted there were many who could claim to have done magic from the womb…but then again, she doubted there had ever been a child of a Dark One while they had been the Dark One either. As far as she knew, no Dark One had ever gone to a land without magic before and even when it had been returned to Storybrooke, it was a displaced sort of magic, weaker than in the Forest, not meant to be there.
"Where are the others?" Emma asked, her mind catching up to her as she clutched the box with the Prometheus Flame in her hands, relieved Piper was safe from whatever happened but worried now that she was the only one there, "Where's Merlin? He was with me but then he vanished. Did something happen?"
"A very large something," Piper confirmed, stepping over to her, "Arthur freed Zelena, she bound Merlin to Excalibur as you are bound to the Dagger."
"What?" Emma gaped at her, not having expected that.
"Arthur controls Merlin now?" Henry frowned, tensing beside them, knowing that was very much NOT a good thing.
"I am afraid so," Piper nodded, "He had Merlin banish us. I know not where they went but I arrived here."
At least she could say, if indeed it had been the child to do so, it had inherited a Siren's protective instinct, protecting its mother.
"Shit," Emma breathed, never before was she more thankful that Piper had the real Dagger on her.
If the others had had it, she didn't doubt Arthur would have taken it. As it was, she was lucky Merlin hadn't noticed the Dagger he'd conjured for her to summon the first Dark One as part of her 'test' to obtain the Flame with had been fake. She knew it had been the moment he'd handed it to her, had felt her own magic on it, but he hadn't. It seemed, since she had created the duplicate, it carried enough of the Dark One's magic and signature to convince him it was the real thing. It didn't surprise her, looking back on it, the man had not seemed comfortable even holding the Dagger and had seemed to do his best not to focus on it, the terrible memories it held for him had not made him especially perceptive of it. And, she supposed, any change in the Dagger's energy or feel could be reasoned away as it having been centuries for him since he last held it, and how would he know if it would feel differently when a different name was on it? He couldn't even bear to look at Nimue when she was summoned, let alone truly examine the Dagger itself.
She had the sneaking suspicion Nimue had also realized the Dagger was fake, but went along with the whole charade, seeing it a trick against Merlin, being in her head she would know the plan to embrace the Darkness in the end. It was all to fool Merlin.
A moment later the lights flickered and turned off, cutting her thoughts off as the light outside the windows dimming as though it were now night, before Merlin appeared in a flash of lightning before them, "I'm sorry for the theatrics," he began, "It's not usually my style, but...I had to follow ord…" he trailed off, frowning when he saw Piper, "How are you here?"
"I summoned her," Emma stepped beside her, moving just a little more in front of her, knowing he was controlled by Arthur meant he could harm anyone and she wouldn't let that happen, "I magicked her here when I saw the others were gone to ask what happened."
Merlin seemed too relieved someone had escaped the 'attack' he'd launched to question it, "Thank you," he breathed, "I am sorry," he added to Piper, "For banishing you. You have told them what happened?" she nodded and so he turned to Emma, "Arthur has ordered me to reforge Excalibur into a whole sword, which means I will need your Dagger and the Promethean Flame."
Emma stepped back, clutching the box more tightly to her chest, knowing he was trying to give her an opportunity as she'd seen him able to summon the 'Dagger' to him earlier and so he could just as easily with the box, but he was finding a loophole to try and not reach that point, either that or Arthur had ordered him not to take it yet just to watch her surrender of her own will. Still, it didn't change her answer, "No."
"Then he will order me to kill your family, and Emma, as much as I hate it, I will obey him."
"Is it any wonder why so many Dark Ones have tried to cleave themselves from the Dagger?" Piper eyed him, "Perhaps it is time you had a taste of what they all endure."
Merlin flinched and looked away at that, all too aware that he had done a terrible thing in binding the will of another to the whims of whoever held the Dagger. He had thought, at the time, he would be the only one to hold Nimue's Dagger, to control her, to keep her from harming others. He had not foreseen himself losing it. He had not considered what would happen if someone worse than the Dark One obtained the Dagger, for it seemed an impossible thought that there could be anyone worse than the Dark One. He had been too consumed with grief and despair at losing his love to the Darkness to think of that. And now he was reaping the consequences of what he himself had sewn.
"They're still OUR family," Henry reminded her, not in a chastising way, not accusing, truly more reminding her that it would harm THEM if Snow or Charming or Regina were killed than it would her, and she would never want them to come to harm. It was why Operation Bluebird had to be done between them all, Piper would never be able to move against Snow White if it hurt him or Emma, but what they had planned was a hurt they could allow, one that was deserved, and would, eventually, lead to their reconciliation...they hoped.
"Arthur has my family?" Emma frowned.
"Yes," Merlin replied grimly, "Because of me. I'm sorry. He wants to make a trade in the heart of the Caledonian Forest in one hour. Their lives for the Flame."
"That's not enough time," Emma shook her head, "This isn't even a Flame yet."
Merlin tried to offer her a smile, "I've seen the strength in you, Emma. When you're ready to light the spark, it will burn. And Arthur will have what he wants. The sword will be whole once again."
"So, I'm just supposed to give up without a fight?"
"Acceptance is a form of strength. I know the Darkness lives in you, Emma, but I beg you, please. Do not seek vengeance. Do not make the same mistakes as Nimue."
Piper didn't even blink when Merlin disappeared, merely sighed, "The hypocrisy of heroes, at its finest. A hero would fight to the end, would be told and encouraged to never give up, a villain is told not to fight at all but to surrender. 'Acceptance is a form of strength,'" she mocked, "Unless one talks of accepting the Darkness."
Emma grit her teeth at the implication, at what Merlin himself had alluded to in telling her to give up, in warning her against vengeance he seemed to already think she'd take...he already saw her as a villain, he saw her as on the edge, still about to fall to Darkness even after she passed his stupid test and didn't kill him when she had the chance to, "If they want a villain, I'll give them one," she nearly threatened.
"It's not the right time, mom," Henry cut in, reminding her of the plan, "If you do it now, they'll think it was just temptation or a last resort and not them failing."
They had agreed it should be a failure on the heroes' part, it had to be something that the heroes did or brought about to trigger the change. Otherwise it would look too much like Emma wanted this and gave in easily.
"What do we do?" Emma looked between the two, before turning to Piper, "Arthur's the villain here, what would he do?"
Piper blinked, "You know, this may be the first time anyone has actually asked me for a villain's perspective."
"Yeah, great, happy to do it, now what would he do? What would YOU do…no, what would Gold do," Emma corrected, because Piper would probably use her music more than magic and Gold would use magic and Arthur had access to magic now in two forms with Merlin and Zelena, "If this was something he demanded."
Piper didn't even need to think, not about what her mate would do, but any villain in general really, which was more what Emma was asking, "The moment the flame reforges Excalibur he would kill you with it. He seemed intent to be the one to extinguish the Darkness forever and it resides in you."
"And I can't ignite the spark anyway because Merlin said I can only light it when I'm ready to 'let go of the Darkness' and that's not the plan."
"Emma," Piper sighed, reaching out to put a hand on Emma's shoulder, "If it means harm to you or Henry, do not think of the plan. I CAN find another way," she looked between her and Henry, "You all act as though I seek revenge for the sole purpose of softening my heart towards Snow White. I seek it because it hurts," she told them, "Because she took from me and betrayed me and nearly cost me everything and yet she continues on with no consequence. It should not be only Villains who suffer for their crimes. If my heart never softens for her I will not shed a tear. If it will save your parents, if it will keep you from being harmed, do what you must."
Emma swallowed hard, hating to admit that…she wanted to stick to the plan, even now, even with her family's life at stake there was just…it felt deserved that they worry a little, that she come up with a plan outside of what Arthur wanted.
"What about a glamor?" Henry suggested.
"What?" Emma looked at him.
"When you make something look one way when it's not," Henry elaborated, "What if you cast an illusion that the flame is working."
"Zelena would likely examine it," Piper warned, "Or Merlin. No Villain would trust anyone, hero or villain, on their word that what they are given is what they asked for. Arthur will use every advantage."
"So why don't we?" Emma asked, starting to smile as Piper's words sparked an idea, "They're expecting me to go in a hero, to give up the spark and the flame, not with their lives at stake. They won't expect me to go in on the offense, to fight, to attack, to use Dark Magic to do it," she looked at Piper, "So long as I don't 'give in' fully…I won't convert to the Dark One, but I can still free them. We can trap Zelena when she checks the flame, I can distract Merlin, and Arthur's pretty weak in his own right..."
It was something she had asked Merlin about, whether dark magic could be used for good. He'd seemed to think it was impossible at the moment, but he hadn't seen Gold, that was all she could think of. Gold healing Piper and protecting her and Neal, him there and offering advice, even at a price, even when he could have refused. Him stopping the ogre wars and protecting Piper's family as though it were his own. GOLD HAD used dark magic for good, she could too.
"Well then," Piper smirked, having a thought herself. It seemed to her, in Emma's plan that SHE would be set to handle Arthur while Emma dealt with Merlin...and if that was the case, she might have just the way to do it that would gain them something more for it, "If we are doing this a villain's way, I may know how to ensure Merlin cannot destroy the Darkness at the same time."
"How?" Emma asked as they quickly got to work on their plan.
~8~
It was honestly shocking to Emma, how she barely noticed Piper even as the woman walked right beside her, her black cloak wrapped around her, her hood up. She had explained that Rumpelstiltskin had created it for her out of shadows, and it allowed her to move about mostly unseen. It worked best in the dark, but was effective in the light as well. So long as she kept to the edges and Emma drew the attention of the others, she would be able to move about without others seeing her.
As they approached the area of the woods that they'd been instructed to meet, they split up, Piper taking a wider path around while Emma went to confront Arthur, Zelena, and Merlin. It had been a great help, coming up with the plan, with Henry and Piper's input. Piper could give the villain perspective and offer advice on what use of magic could work, and Henry helped keep it lighter, managing to keep her plans from veering 'too dark.' He had remained behind at the Diner to ensure the other heroes, like the Dwarves, wouldn't know what was going on so they wouldn't come barging in and ruin their plan.
She slowed as she approached the trees where she could see her parents, Regina, Robin, and Hook chained to them, Arthur and Zelena speaking before one of them with Merlin, looking resigned, off to the side. She made sure to be noisy as she approached, needing their attention on her, "I brought the flame," she called out to them, holding up the box that had contained the spark, "But you don't get it until you free my family."
"No," Arthur glared at her, Excalibur held tightly in his hand, "You will hand it over now, or I unleash Merlin."
"Emma, please," the sorcerer nearly begged, "I don't want to fight you."
"No, but I do," Zelena smirked, stepping up, in her full Wicked Witch regalia though without the green skin, "So, now that mommy's got her magic back...tell us, Dark One, what are you gonna do?" she taunted, "Who should I execute first? Hmm? Your boyfriend or your father?"
Emma grit her teeth as she looked at them, her eyes flickering to Arthur, to something behind him, before she held out her hand, holding the box with the flame inside it out to them, knowing they would expect her to give in at the threat of that harm, "You can have the flame."
"Zelena, make sure that's real," Arthur called, watching Emma warily.
Zelena waved her hand to summon the box to her, opening it to peer inside…only for ropes to erupt from within and surround her, pulling her back to a nearby tree and trapping her. She'd done exactly as they'd thought she would.
"Now," Emma smirked, seeing a black flicker of something behind Arthur, she just needed a little more time for it to get close enough, "You want to give me my family? Or keep fighting?"
"Merlin!" Arthur raged, ordering the sorcerer forward.
"Please, Emma," Merlin tried again, "Give him the flame. This is a battle you cannot win," he threw his hands out, sending a blast of magic at her, which she countered with her own, "I wish you could defeat me, Emma. But I've played this game for too long."
"Enough!" Arthur suddenly shouted, a moment before Emma would have lost her footing, the magic getting too close, or should she say letting it get too close, she had to be careful to make it look like she was still holding back the Darkness in front of her family.
Merlin let out a breath, nearly sagging at how he'd been called off, and spun to Arthur, unsure of WHY he'd been called off…only to see the man on his knees, Piper behind him…Arthur's beating heart held tightly in her hand, having forced him to give the order.
"Foul witch!" Arthur tried to swing Excalibur at her but she squeezed his heart, causing him to cry out.
"No!" Merlin tried to stop her, lifting a hand to use his magic when she held up the heart in threat, that if he dare try, she would either crush it before he could move or ensure the heart was hit first with whatever attack he intended to send, "Please," he said instead, moving his hand down in a more 'surrender' stance, "Don't…"
Piper smirked and looked down at Arthur as he glared at her, "It appears we have you at a disadvantage," she remarked, "Whatever shall we do about that?"
"Release me!" Arthur demanded.
Piper hummed, lifting his heart to whisper to it, "Release them!"
"Release them," Arthur repeated, throwing the order to Merlin, the man quickly allowing the shackles holding the others to the trees to fall away.
"Kill…" Arthur tried to order the man.
"Shh," Piper whispered, a finger to her lips, and he fell silent. Whether it was through her hold on his heart or her own magic, Emma couldn't tell, but nor did she really care.
"It worked," Emma smiled, letting out a breath of relief, "Good job, Aunt P."
Piper gave a somewhat mocking bow that came across more jesting to her niece than condescending, "At your service," she added, before her gaze flickered from Arthur to Merlin and down to the heart in her hand, "Literally, it would appear."
Emma let out a small laugh, shaking her head and moving over to her Aunt's side, looking down at Arthur, "Give me the sword," she held her hand out to him.
He grit his teeth and spat at her.
Piper squeezed his heart for it, "Rude," she remarked, "Now, be a good boy and do as you were told."
Arthur shot her a venomous glare even as he threw Excalibur at Emma's feet, the woman leaning over to pick it up.
Emma only barely kept from rolling her eyes when she saw the way her family tensed as she took hold of the thing that could control Merlin, even Hook was watching her warily, as though waiting to see what she would do or command the sorcerer to do. She sighed, holding it out to Hook instead, "What do you think?" she asked, making a show of handing it to him, of trusting someone else with it.
She had the feeling her family would much rather the man who had been lobbying for her to be free of the Darkness more than any of them hold onto the sword for the moment than her. He'd be more likely to order Merlin to 'save her' than anything they thought she might.
"Now, there's a sword," Hook admired it.
"What do we do with him?" Charming asked, looking down at Arthur as he moved onto his knees, his hands curled into fists, glaring at them all.
"I can think of a few things," Regina muttered, a fireball already in her hand.
"No," Snow White sighed, "No, he's still the king, we can't just execute him."
"He should be returned to Camelot to face trial," Merlin spoke, moving to join them, "I can free any others that he's ensnared but for now his place is in a cell," he looked down at the man, disappointment heavy in his eyes, before they flickered to Piper, "But please, return his heart."
"Hmm," Piper hummed, "No, I do not believe I shall," she turned to Merlin, "He has caused my niece a great deal of stress…and I do not take kindly to those who cross my family."
"Stop!" Merlin shouted when she began to squeeze his heart in earnest, "Or I'll stop you."
Piper seemed to smirk at that, as though she had been waiting for that moment, "Try me," she challenged, "Are you willing to risk that you can attack me before I crush his heart? This man, who was like a son to you?"
Merlin swallowed hard, glancing between Arthur and her, "What do you want?" he asked, for he could sense there was more to her action than mere retaliation.
Piper nodded, "A bargain, between you and I," she began, her hand still clenching around the heart, not seeming to even notice Arthur writhing and gasping on the ground at her feet, "I do not kill this would-be king, if you swear on your magic that you shall not destroy the Dark One's Darkness."
"Rose!" Snow White gasped, horrified at the prospect of anyone not wanting to rid the world of such evil.
"You can't be serious!" Charming was of the same mind.
"Need I remind you," Piper's voice grew firm and cold, "Who the Darkness last belonged to?"
Emma took a breath and moved beside her, "I want it out of me," she told the others, "But you promised, all of you," her gaze flickered to Merlin as well, "Your Apprentice did too, that the Darkness would be returned to Rumpelstiltskin when this was over, not destroyed."
"So there you have it," Piper turned to Merlin once more, squeezing Arthur's heart again for good measure, "His life for Rummy's Darkness."
"How do I know you won't kill him anyway?" Merlin challenged, for once seeming to tip into the prejudice against villains, the distrust.
"I am the Pied Piper," she reminded him, "I always uphold my end of a bargain."
"You don't know what you're asking…" Merlin tried to persuade her.
"I know exactly what I am asking," she snapped, "And you shall not convince me otherwise. I will not risk my mate's life and I challenge any to stand against a Siren and ask them to. His life for Rummy's Darkness, do we have an accord?"
Merlin hesitated, looking from Piper to the hold she had on Arthur's heart, to the man nearly face down in the dirt, his heart on its last bit of strength before it would turn to dust, and nodded, "We do," he said, "I swear on my magic and my life," he added, "We will pull the Darkness from Emma, contain it, and restore it to Rumpelstiltskin."
Piper looked at him a long while, her head tilted to the side as she examined his words, before she offered a small smirk and a short almost-laugh through her nose, "And so he shall live," she agreed, turning and violently shoving her hand into Arthur's back, returning his heart in the most painful way she could manage before stepping back.
Arthur gasped and floundered on the ground for a moment, his body adjusting not just to the trauma and pain but the return of his heart. He managed to get himself onto his hands and knees…before he launched himself at Hook, surprising the pirate long enough to try and grab Excalibur's hilt. Hook held firm, struggling with the man for control over the blade. Arthur turned, swinging it up at Hook, managing to catch the edge of the blade along the pirate's neck, before Hook lashed out from the pain and struck a hard blow across the man's face with his hook, driving him to the ground.
"Oh no," Piper remarked dryly when Arthur began to scramble to his feet and race towards Zelena, starting to cut her bindings with a dagger from his belt, "If only we had a way to control him and make him stop…like a heart."
"Merlin…" Emma turned to the man, wanting to stop Arthur herself but knowing any move she made would look like an attack.
"Let him go," Merlin said sadly as the two disappeared in a swirl of green smoke, "She is not more powerful than us," he told her, "There is nothing Arthur can do now."
Piper crossed her arms, sending Emma a look as the woman moved to step past her and over to Hook to look at the cut on his neck, warning her. This was another thing heroes did, underestimate villains and how far they would go to get what they wanted.
She had just ripped a man's heart out and threatened the greatest sorcerer who ever lived into doing her bidding…and they thought Zelena and Arthur not a threat?
She should have, for once, not kept her end of a deal and crushed the man's heart while she had the chance.
~8~
Emma sat on the log outside of Granny's, Piper beside her as the heroes, yet again, spoke within without them included, checking on Merlin for the man had been fighting against Arthur's control the entire time and worn himself out. Hook was off, near the doors, with Henry, giving them time and privacy to talk and go over the last part of their plan, how to ensure that the 'struggle' against the Darkness and the failed ritual would come about.
Henry had the right of it, using a glamor to make it seem as though the flame was working. Emma had glimpsed what it should look like from a few of Merlin's memories in one of the dreamcatchers, so she knew how it should appear to convince him it was real. And then a bright flash of light, two halves of the sword still separate, and a Dark Emma in her place would do it. Merlin's plan would have failed. It was not that they didn't trust him to keep his word and transfer the Darkness to Rumpelstiltskin, it was that it was not the right time to, not yet. Emma had to become the Dark One first, to create chaos and challenge for the heroes, for them to experience her at her 'worst' before it could be given back to the former Dark One.
They were more covering themselves with the bargain Piper had forged. They had to make it seem real to the heroes, Piper's reaction to it all. If she just stood aside and allowed them to do the ritual on Emma, a ritual meant to destroy the Darkness, when she had nearly tried to claw the Apprentice to death over the same suggestion...they would be suspicious as to why she was so calm and agreeable. She had to make it seem like she was fighting that part of it, getting Merlin to agree would only convince the heroes this was real...and they'd be none the wiser that it was sabotaged from the beginning.
Piper was of the mind that Merlin thought himself more clever than he truly was, he must have gotten rusty after being trapped in a tree so long if he thought she hadn't noticed the glaring loophole in his promise. He promised to return the Darkness to Rumpelstiltskin but he had never said a word about not destroying it in his oath, he had never said what would happen AFTER Rumpelstiltskin got the Darkness back. Once it was removed from Emma and transferred, he'd be free to try and destroy it once more while it was in Rumpelstiltskin. Piper wasn't a fool, she had lived a life with a Dark One, made her own fair share of bargains, she knew loopholes when she saw it. She had intentionally phrased it the way she had to lure Merlin into agreeing, lure him into thinking she had agreed and not realized the way around the promise. Her agreement, his promise, it would only serve to trick the heroes as well, to see her 'giving in' and stepping aside.
It mattered little, in the end, the ritual would fail regardless and there would be no real promise to keep. Emma would cause chaos here, take the sword and Dagger, make the heroes think they planned to destroy the Light, and once they were convinced, reveal the truth of their assumptions and teach them the lesson about the Darkness, hopefully to the point they agreed to transfer it and not destroy it out of their own free will and new understanding. Merlin would likely have a way back to Storybrooke, being as powerful as he was and even if he didn't, Zelena could get them there with the wand the same way they first got there. There were ways to convince people to do as she wished. They would be back in Storybrooke, return the Darkness to Rumpelstiltskin, hopefully with the heroes more humble. And, if not, Merlin had been locked away once before, it would not be difficult to find a way to do so again, especially now that he was bound to Excalibur, a simple order not to destroy the Darkness would work. They would have the sword in their possession by then. They were taking every precaution they could to cover themselves and their bases.
"You really think this'll work?" Emma asked, glancing at Piper, as she fiddled with the Prometheus box in her hands.
"I do," Piper nodded, "The heroes will wish so badly to see what they want to see, they shall not question any flame, and you have seen what Merlin will expect. We make it look as though the forging is working and then…"
"I turn into the Dark One," Emma nodded, taking a breath. They were so close she could almost feel the darkness buzzing under her skin, ready to be accepted.
"Emma," Piper reached out to take her fidgeting hands, "This may be your last chance," she spoke, "If this is too much…"
"I can do it, Aunt P."
"You have only seen a villain through the eyes of heroes, and even then you have been jaded against heroism," Piper remarked, "You have never been on the receiving end of such loathing and mistrust," she squeezed Emma's hand, "They will question every move you make, they will never take you at your word, they will always think the worst motive for anything you do," she glanced at the diner, "Your parents may turn on you, the town may turn on you, your pirate may very well turn on you. It is not easy," she looked back at Emma, "To be alone and hated."
Emma nodded, serious, "But I won't be alone," she reminded the woman, setting the box beside her and touching Piper's hand with her free one, "I'll have you," she said, "And Henry, and I'm sure August will be filled in and Gold, whenever we wake him up. Hell maybe Lily will join in too for all I know. I won't have to do this alone."
Piper let out a light laugh, "I have heard of heroes mentoring others, knights and squires, I never thought a villain would mentor a hero in such a way."
Emma snorted, "First time for everything, and it's not so bad," she added, "The few times I used dark magic it…it didn't feel much different," she admitted.
"Perhaps it is because you have been so far in the light," Piper remarked, "The dark may be just another form of powerful magic to you. And it is not as though you have used it for any truly dark purposes yet."
"Will it be different when I finally do?" Emma wondered.
"I cannot say, the dark is tempting," Piper mused, "But it is as you said, you will not be alone to ward off such temptation."
"Thanks Aunt P."
She nodded, glancing at the door as Snow and Charming began to step out and look around for Emma, "Come," she said, standing with Emma, "I believe it is time."
Emma took a deep breath, grabbed the box with the spark, and nodded.
Showtime.
~8~
Emma was tense as she stood before those of Storybrooke, Merlin in front of her, the sword resting on a table, with 'the Dagger' beside it and the box with the spark in between them. Even if this ritual was meant to go perfectly, even if Emma wished for the Darkness to be gone, the ritual would fail, because the Dagger wasn't real. The real one was still safely tucked in Piper's boot.
"Are you ready?" Merlin asked.
Piper watched on, silent, Henry beside her, the boy doing his best to not vibrate with excitement of what was about to happen. He was far more subtle when plotting plans to ensure the heroes a victory than the villains, but he wanted to see this work so badly. She supposed it was a bit of 'teenage rebellion' brewing, that he wanted to 'pull a fast one' on the heroes and have them none the wiser he had a hand in it.
"Yes," Emma nodded, sounding firm and sure, luckily none of the heroes were able to tell when she was lying.
"Then it's time to remove the Darkness," Merlin gave her a nod and Emma began.
She opened the box with the spark and lowered her hand to it, taking a breath, and conjuring up the glamor, allowing all to see her draw a single speck of it up into the air, bringing it between her hands before throwing them open, a flame now floating in the air. She leaned in slightly to grab the sword and the Dagger and lift them into the flame.
She frowned, her face scrunching, her arms starting to shake as though something were happening, some force was pushing against her.
"What's wrong?" Snow gasped, looking at Merlin as the man frowned.
"What's happening?" Charming demanded, all of them able to see something was genuinely going wrong now.
Before Merlin could answer, there was a bright flash of light, lasting quite a few seconds, before it faded, leaving the others to blink rapidly, trying to see again.
"Mom?" Henry asked, he and Piper having shielded their eyes a moment before, knowing it would be coming. His question drew everyone's attention over to Emma, who stood hunched over, with her back to them, Piper at her side with a hand on her back as though checking on her.
"Emma?" Snow called, taking a step towards her, when Emma straightened and they knew something terrible had happened.
Emma's hair was stark white.
And her clothing was black.
"Emma," Charming swallowed hard.
Emma slowly turned around, the 'Dagger' and the sword gripped in her hands, coming to face them. Her skin was paler than normal, a shimmer to it, as though it were frosted and sparkling, her eyes a wide blue, her hair in a tight bun, and her clothing…it almost looked like crocodile skin, a dress made of black crocodile skin.
Piper fought to keep the smirk off her face when Emma looked around at the stunned faces of the crowd, catching Henry's eye as the boy did seem shocked at her appearance, but she recalled he didn't have many, if any, experiences with Rumpelstiltskin as the Dark One in the Forest, instead of Mr. Gold in Storybrooke. He was not as used to a Dark One's appearance in all its glory as she was.
"Well," Emma spoke, and even her voice was different, flatter, colder, with an edge to it the heroes couldn't place, "Did it work?" she asked, before smirking and revealing the rhetorical nature of it, "I think it did."
"Emma…" Snow breathed, trying to take a step towards her but Charming held her back.
"You wanted to free me," Emma glanced at them, "I certainly feel…free."
Emma let out a near cackling laugh before she disappeared in a swirl of black, leaving the heroes stunned when Piper was taken along with her.
They had agreed, early on, when the time came for Emma to reveal herself, that it would be safer for her to take Piper with her. Leaving her in the middle of the heroes would only invite them to blame her, that somehow she had done this to Emma, she wouldn't risk her aunt in their hands. Henry would be safe, no one would suspect him, not after how much he'd helped Regina turn good and how much they thought he'd be what kept Emma good. And they would need someone on the inside to let them know what happened after they left. They boy had offered to be a spy for them, to let them know the heroes' plans, but they wouldn't put him in that position, taking a leaf out of Regina's book and enchanting a mirror instead.
"Well done," Piper smirked as they appeared in the middle of a field of middlemist flowers not far from the diner, "That should leave them squabbling."
If she knew heroes, if she knew the Charmings as she did, they would be freaking out now, turning to Merlin and Regina for answers, not giving them a chance to even try to go after Emma with their fears needing assuaging. Merlin wouldn't instantly come to face her down either, not now that she was equally as powerful as him, and not while she still held Excalibur and could order him away. He would need to be the most careful of them all.
"You don't think the cackle was too much?" Emma joked, dropping the hand holding the 'Dagger' and causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke though she kept hold of Excalibur.
"I do not believe any of them have seen a new Dark One born, they would not know what is normal and what is exaggeration."
Emma let out a long breath, "I can't believe that worked."
"Well we have had plenty of time to prepare," Piper reminded her.
"I just…" Emma took a breath in now, moving to sit on a boulder, "I didn't think we'd actually manage it. Things don't always work out for villains, you know? Aren't they always thwarted by the good guys?"
Piper hummed, considering it, "Perhaps things are changing," she mused, "The heroes have not been entirely heroic lately. Perhaps the universe sees this as us working for the 'greater good' to teach the heroes their noble qualities once more."
Emma gave her a look, "That's a load of bull."
Piper snorted, "Villains take what we want and are not afraid of going to any length for it," she said simply, "There are things we are willing to do heroes would never dare. Walking the line of that," she looked to Emma, "You would be surprised what you can accomplish."
Emma nodded slowly, feeling like this was a little bit of the old promise Piper had once made to Snow White coming into play. That she would do the darker deeds, make the hard choices, so her family wouldn't have to. It had been Piper's guidance, her pushes in the right areas, that helped them reach this. Things SHE might not have thought to do as a hero, Piper had been able to explain in a new way, allowing her to consider them and achieve them.
She had just opened her mouth to thank the woman for her help again, when they both stiffened, her sensing someone approaching fast and Piper hearing their song coming.
She got to her feet, Excalibur gripped in her hand as she moved to Piper's side, if a bit in front of her, looking towards the woods where the feeling was coming from.
"It is the pirate," Piper murmured to her, not sure how much she could sense of each person's unique feeling than just a general sense of someone approaching.
"Of course it is," Emma huffed under her breath…she really should have expected that at least. Hook had been so adamant that she be 'saved' from the Darkness, she wouldn't put it past him to storm out of the diner to find her the second he realized she'd become the Dark One.
What he planned to do about it was beyond her.
"Emma!" she could hear Hook shouting, before he came barreling through the trees and into the field, "Emma!" he seemed to take a step towards her, when he noticed Piper beside her, "I knew you had something to do with this!" he sneered at her, "You've corrupted her!"
"She hasn't done anything," Emma defended, "You saw it with your own eyes, Killian," she reminded him, "The ritual failed, it's as simple as that."
"There's nothing simple about it!"
"Yes, there is," Emma glared, "I'm the Dark One."
Hook shook his head, "You're more than the Dark One," he insisted, "You're still you."
"Am I?" Emma challenged.
"You can be," he promised, stepping towards her, "I want to help you. We can defeat the darkness inside you and…"
Emma blinked, somewhat startled when his words were cut off as he stumbled forward, a groan of pain on his lips, his hand flying to his neck before he fell to the ground. She could see the wound on his neck had not only reopened but was profusely bleeding. He stumbled to the side, trying to sit and collapsed to the ground.
"I healed that," Emma breathed, moving towards him and frowning down at the sight of the wound returned.
Piper moved to her side, "Perhaps it was Excalibur, perhaps a wound from it cannot be healed…"
Emma closed her eyes, feeling like a voice was whispering on her mind the answer, "Excalibur was forged to cut immortal ties. A wound from it cannot be healed," she repeated aloud, "There has to be something we can do…"
"A preservation spell is all I know of," Piper offered, "But if it cannot be healed, it may not be able to be stopped."
Emma looked down at the man bleeding out and frowned deeply, her hands clenching on the hilt of Excalibur. She wanted to kneel at his side, to take him in her arms, but…she knew she didn't look like herself right now, and he was not a fan of the Dark One. She didn't know how he'd react to her touching him looking as she did now and she didn't think she could bear it if he flinched away from her.
And…there was an eerie sort of calm that had settled over her with the acceptance of the Dark One's Darkness into her, with the acceptance of its power and knowledge. With this moment to think…she knew what she could do to save him, she knew it was possible, and how to do it. He was in no danger of dying today if she acted…
She let out a small scoff.
Piper tilted her head at her, almost surprised, "I did not think you would find the sight of your love bleeding out to be amusing."
"Not that," Emma shook her head, "I can save him, I know how to save him. I was thinking, it was better he collapsed here and now than in the diner. The others…" she shook her head, "If I attempted it there, they would be up in arms about it."
And it was true, they would be telling her to stop, to let him go, to let him pass. Because it would take truly DARK Magic to save him. They would disregard what Snow and Charming had done to Lily, out of love for their daughter. They would ignore how Regina had pushed her to save Robin from the brink of death and call in a price of magic upon them all. They would want her to use her magic for their purposes but not to save someone SHE loved.
"How do you propose to save him?" Piper inquired.
"I can use the Promethean Flame to release Merlin from Excalibur, and then I can use it to tether Hook's life to it instead," she glanced at Piper, "It would make him another Dark One, but multiply the Darkness so that it could never be destroyed."
Piper eyed Emma for how she said that, how she sounded, as though stating a simple fact. She was not frantic or desperate or sobbing over the pirate with fear of losing him, she knew what had to be done to save him, and she was confident she could do it. It was…odd, in a way, she half expected Emma to be a mess on the ground begging for her permission to save Hook. But, she imagined, part of Emma HAD been fighting to keep the Darkness from settling in all this time, to keep the heroes from growing suspicious. Now that she had embraced it, it could be overwhelming at first, consuming, all the power and knowledge and freedom it offered.
"It wouldn't be the Dark One's magic," Emma added, "He wouldn't have that, he'd have Merlin's magic, but it would be darkened by me being the one to transfer it."
"Are you attempting to reassure me?" Piper had to ask.
Emma looked at her, "I want you to know that I'm aware of the consequences," she said, "I want you to know that I'm sure of what I'm doing. It wouldn't affect Gold's magic to do this, but in the end it WOULD make him more powerful when the magic is returned to him."
"You cannot guarantee it will be," Piper argued, "If he becomes a Dark One, I do not believe he shall be merely acting the part to convince the heroes. He is not you."
"He's been better. He can be better again. I can keep track of him."
"And if you cannot? If he grows too dark? If he goes after Henry or Neal?"
"I'll stop him."
"How?"
Emma gave her a look she had often seen in the mirror, one that spoke of doing anything she had to to keep her family safe, "There are a number of ways. The sword, his heart, his memories even. I could use the dreamcatchers to rip the memory of this out of him, he won't even know he's the Dark One. If he doesn't know he won't be tempted by or have access to the magic."
"I think you put too much faith in his 'change,'" Piper warned, not denying her permission to do this, but making her own misgivings clear, not wanting Emma to get too hopeful he'd magically be a beacon of light when given the chance to descend into darkness, "Give him a way to excuse is darker tendencies and he will use it. He will cast blame elsewhere. You wish to believe him good."
"I know," Emma said simply, startling Piper slightly. She looked down at Hook's prone form, "I wanted to test him," she reminded her, "To see if he could accept me as the Dark One. But this…this is an opportunity, his greatest test, to prove if he has truly changed, if he is really a good man."
"And if he is not?"
"I WILL stop him," Emma promised her, "I swear on my magic, on my life, on Henry's life," she added, so Piper would know she was serious, "Just like you'd stop Gold if he hurt us. I will not allow anyone to harm my family."
A part of Piper wanted to refuse to agree to this, Emma had made it clear she would only go through with plans if SHE gave it a green light. That she was standing there, waiting for permission, told her Emma was serious. If she refused…Emma would not save the pirate.
And that was the trap, wasn't it?
Emma was putting on a brave front now, when she thought there was a chance to save him, but if the pirate died…she would be devastated. Not only from losing a man she cared about, loved, but from the loss of the possibility he represented. They hadn't truly HAD their relationship yet, he represented a possible future, a future shared with a partner, and it could slip away if she refused her niece this adaptation to their plan.
Emma would be pained, hurt, to lose the pirate now, and she could never bear her family in pain. Even now her instinct screamed at her to aid her niece, to help her find happiness, to protect her from that hurt.
There were no true…negatives, that she could see. Emma had been thorough in her assessment. They had the sword, they could take his heart for extra measure should he obtain the sword. They had the dreamcatchers to wipe his mind if need be. Emma was equally as powerful as Hook and could stand against him. It wouldn't be Rumpelstiltskin's magic in danger but Merlin's.
…and perhaps it would be what Emma needed to see the truth in her pirate, in his 'change.'
This was not a desperate plan of a woman fearful to lose her love, this was the Dark One looking at an advantage, whether it was an increase in power, the answer to a question of heart, or even an additional fear put into the heroes, that she had turned someone else into a Dark One and who else could she do that to?
She nearly smirked at that last thought, how the heroes would assume 'the Dark One' had corrupted Hook, how much more they would fear and panic to have two Dark Ones after them. Hook could be controlled, made to not go against their plans or reveal them in a number of ways between herself and Emma. The possibilities…both for their plans and Emma's tests…
She looked at Emma, the woman trying to keep her cool façade, but able to see the hope and concern in her eyes, and she sighed, the Siren in her winning out at the need to help her niece, "Take his heart," she told Emma, no order in her voice, no intention in the command, "Hide it, hold it, whatever you wish…"
She knew Emma was more likely to trust her with the Dagger than with Hook's heart given what she had done with it last time she had use of it.
"But you take it, now, to ensure it remains safe and as a failsafe should he become corrupt."
Emma let out a breath, revealing how truly worried she had been that Piper would deny the request, refuse the change to the plan. She looked down at Hook once more, the man's breathing now shallow, unconscious, his skin pale, she would have to be fast if she wanted to avoid having to pay a price for the magic being used to save his life.
She knelt down and reached into Hook's chest, pulling his heart out with a wince. She took a breath and wrapped it in a cloth from her pocket, setting it back in before she reached out to touch Hook's face, stroking it lightly till his eyes fluttered and he slowly blinked awake.
"Emma…" he tried to speak, but he was so weak.
"Killian," she took his hand, "You're going to be ok. I can use Excalibur to save you, make you like Merlin."
"No, please," he shook his head, hearing the truth behind her pretty words, that he'd be like her now, like the Dark One, "You have to let me go. I don't want to pay this price. I don't...I don't want to become that."
"You won't," Emma promised, "You can fight the Darkness. I can help you. We can do it together."
"I'm not as strong as you are...or Merlin. I'm weak. The things I've done...I've done. I've succumbed to darkness before in my life. And it took centuries to push it away. I don't know if I can do it again."
Emma glanced up at Piper, to see her giving her a pointed look, a reminder of what she herself had warned the woman. That if she gave him an excuse to act upon his darkness without consequence, he would take it.
"But our future..." Emma looked at Hook.
"I'll just be happy knowing that...that you have one," he murmured as he slowly lost consciousness again.
"That's not enough for me," Emma shook her head, not about to lose this chance at a future with someone she loved again. She had lost it with Henry, with Neal, with Walsh even, she would NOT lose it again. She just wanted a chance to TRY, to be able to see if it could work, to decide for herself if it wouldn't, not have that opportunity ripped away from her.
This was what villains did, wasn't it? Took what they wanted?
Well, right now, she just wanted the chance to see what the future could hold, and she was going to take it.
So she closed her eyes, focusing her magic as she held Excalibur over Hook, calling upon every bit of power she had to free Merlin of the sword's control…and tether Hook to it.
In one brief flash of light, Hook disappeared, 'Killian Jones' now etched onto the half of the blade, "Is he…" she breathed, startled.
"He should be at the Vault," Piper answered, "It is where all Dark Ones are arise."
Emma nodded, gripping the hilt of Excalibur and letting out a breath at that, knowing it had worked, she had done it.
There were two Dark Ones now.
A/N: I'm pretty sure I rewrote the last scene 3 or 4 times lol. Originally it was more like the episode, (spoilers) Hook collapsing in the middle of Emma 'reforging' the sword, her desperate to save him, Piper giving in and agreeing to Emma's change of plans because she can't bear to see her niece hurting. But the more I looked at it, it just didn't fit :/
For one, Piper was too protective of the Darkness/magic to just agree to Emma giving it to Hook on a whim, she also hates Hook, and she's told Emma constantly that she would only stand aside and allow her to do something 'evil' if she really thought about it and accepted the consequences which Emma was not in the right mind to do. A bit of temptation for her was the idea of freaking out the heroes with the thought of TWO Dark Ones being around, even if she plans to 'keep Hook on a leash' of sorts lol :)
For two, Emma in this story is not as close to Hook as she is in the show. In the show she was desperate to the point of 'I love this man and I can't let him die, I can't live without him, I'll do anything' and in this story she's heard some of the concerns of Piper and Henry about him and is more at the point of 'I love him, he loves me, but we have a lot to work on and we need to see if we can even make a relationship work' so she wouldn't be at that level of desperation here.
For three, in the show there was a scene where Regina and Hook, at different times, talk with Emma before she tries to reforge the sword. In the story only Piper talked to her. Emma has been hamming up the 'I want to be light' for her family so there was no reason for Hook or Regina to feel she needed extra encouragement to go through with it. Which means Emma attempts the reforging sooner than in the show, so Hook wouldn't have collapsed at that point and interrupted it. Which meant, by the time Hook succumbed to the injury Emma would have already been the Dark One, with its influence, and the knowledge of her power that came with it, she'd be a little more distant and controlled and could look at it more as an opportunity to both save him and test him.
So I hope the new scene with Emma, Hook, and Piper at the end makes a bit more sense with this story-universe. Emma's not at that level of desperate love with Hook here, and being so newly merged with the Darkness, she's a little more pragmatic, she knows what she knows, she knows her power, and she's seeing more of an opportunity/advantage like a Dark One would to test him. She wants to save him, because she's lost the opportunity for a future with people she loved so many times she's tired of losing it. She's a villain now, and they take what they want ;)
I felt like, with the plan Emma, Piper, and Henry had in place, it was a long time in the making, they had time to think about it, tweak it, prepare for it, unlike some hero plans that are thrown together at the last minute. They had everything in place to make sure it happened as they wanted it to. Which will sort of parallel the plan for Hook falling apart in Storybrooke, it was sort of thrown together at the last minute, even if it was thought out, it was too quick, which means not everything has time to be considered :(
The deal Piper makes with Merlin might seem a bit pointless, I know, since the grand plan was Emma becoming the Dark One anyway. But it really would have been suspicious for her to just stand there and not right against destroying the Darkness, she had to at least try to get the agreement changed to 'transfer' it or the others would have known something was wrong. And, even then, they have their plans in place. They know how to stop Merlin, with the sword, they know how to get back to Storybrooke, with the wand.
The only tweak they've had to make is preparing for what to do if Hook goes off the deep end. And, with Emma being the Dark One now, she has that clarity to think without her emotions clouding her (at least for now, with the embrace of the Darkness being so new and overwhelming at first). She'll rip the memories out of Hook so he doesn't remember he's the Dark One, then she'll use the ritual to get it out of him before he can realize the power he has. It goes a bit farther, because she'll soon realize she has to erase EVERYONE'S memory if they learn what she's done to Hook, to keep them from acting differently around him or making him aware, but she has that backup.
It just seems like part of her plan may have gone askew once they got to Storybrooke, which we'll find out how and why very soon ;)
But awww, Piper had a mini fear moment about the baby. She's usually fairly controlled and collected, but I felt like that would be a moment where she genuinely is hit with something that scares her. She CAN'T control the baby, if it was the one doing the magic, and it is a legitimate fear of what could happen if it happens around the heroes :( This is something she can't quite hide and she doesn't have her mate at her side :( But then the instinct kicks in and it's 'I will kill them' and back to good old Piper lol. She's still internally freaking out, worried, and scared about what could happen. But they'll be back in Storybrooke soon, and back with Gold, and even without his magic she feels safer with him :)
Some notes on reviews...
I can say the father of the baby is not Hades, no :) I got the impression, from the show, that when he's on earth from the Underworld he's more of an apparition, not fully there. He would probably want to be the father, if just to manipulate Zelena more later, but in this story he's not ;)
I think that's how Hook actually is too. Like when he got his hand back and acted more like his pirate self, then blamed it on the hand when it was all just him. Piper's point about giving him something to excuse his bad behavior would give him the out he wants to do as he wants, will come back to Emma }:) I feel like the Underworld did become a sort of turning point for him, when he legitimately died and there was no way to come back, I think it forced him to realize truths about himself and how he acted, how he was given that second chance to truly be the man he wanted to be before he became a pirate, to make his brother proud, to push past the hatred and anger and greed he'd felt and really BE a hero, not pretend to be one. Whether it'll play out the same in this story we'll have to wait and see ;)
Lol, I'm glad you liked the confrontation :) It's sort of funny because Emma is SO angry at them and it all just spews out, but when I picture Piper's confrontation it's more of a cold anger, it's partly her Siren heritage and her being older and enduring more, but she goes for the cutting, brutal words, and does it in a calm, almost mocking way that just stabs you right in the heart. No yelling, no anger, just sort of cold hard facts and brutal truths. I almost feel bad for Snow when Piper lets that out }:) And no worries, I completely get it ;) Whenever I update a story and go through the reviews to see if there's any questions or theories or anything to respond to I grin a lot :) Half the time I'll be around my family on my laptop and I have to try not to just grin too much or they're like 'what are you smiling about?' ;)