Blueeyeddevil06 thank you for being my beta and working out a plan for this storyline with me.


Amos watched Emma walk into his shop shortly before two o'clock. He pulled out the red leather coat for her and helped her try it on. His hand shook as he looked at her guard. They were the same ones as yesterday, but today, there was a scrawny looking boy too. He heard one of them refer to the boy as Billy.

She tried on the coat and obviously approved of the tailoring. "This is perfect!" She handed him the money for the coat, and just as she did, The Dark One appeared. He noticed she looked horrified, and he seemed incredibly happy.

Rumplestiltskin looked at Emma, and he smiled. He had her, and she was going back with him. He'd make sure she never got away again. He laughed as a little skinny boy stood between him and Emma. The boy yelled at her to run.

"That won't work, Kid." He sneered. "I'm too powerful for running to do any good." He reached out to take her heart. He'd be able to control her fully that way. Just as he was about to reach through her chest, a bright light appeared, and he couldn't get through to her heart.

Emma looked at him in panic and raised her hands as he tried to get her heart. A bright light flashed out from them, knocking him back and wounding him. He was instantly in an incredible amount of pain. He tried to stand, but it was difficult. He forced himself upright, and then he disappeared in a swirl of smoke and reappeared in his study at his estate. Belle was there, and she shrieked out at the sight of him. "Can't you heal yourself?!" She was horrified by what she saw. He had large open gashes all over him, and the edges were all singed black.

He tried and growled out. "Dammit, no! Dark Magic can't counter True Love magic!"

She ran to him and supported him as she moved him to his room. She saw Baelfire and told him to get bandages, rags, and hot water to clean his wounds. He quickly returned with them and handed them to her.

She laid Rumpelstiltskin in bed and tried to soothe him. "Here now." He tried to stand. "Oh, don't do that." She then took a rag, dipped it in the water, and tried to clean one of his wounds. He flinched. "Just hold still."

He roared at her, "That hurts!"

She yelled right back in his face, "If you hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!" She threw down her rag.

"You should be wary of yelling at The Dark One!"

"You should learn to control your temper!" She then softened her tone and picked up the rag again. "Now, hold still. This might sting a little." She gently dabbed at his wounds and cleaned them up. Once they were clean, she bandaged them carefully.

He laid there submitting to her careful treatment. When she was done, he saw Baelfire enter the room again. "I forbid you from warning Zelena about Emma."

"What happened, Papa?" He looked down in concern.

"Emma's slept with her True Love and has come into her powers. She looked just as startled as I was when she blasted me with Light Magic."

"But you said she'd be mine!" Baelfire yelled petulantly.

Rumpelstiltskin scoffed, "You had your chance with her. She's out of your reach entirely now. You won't tell anyone I'm injured!"

"Yes, Papa."

They both watched Baelfire leave the room. He looked at Belle with a weary look. "Aren't you going to yell at me for not warning Zelena that Emma has access to her full powers?" He huffed at her while he was tucked in bed.

"Why would I? If she catches her, then she brings her back here for your son to rape her." She set down a cup of tea next to him.

"Bed her." He countered. "You can't tell me that there aren't unwilling brides all the time amidst the aristocracy." He scoffed and waved his hand.

"No, you want him to force her since she isn't willing." She snapped.

He gestured with his hand. "You mean just like your father was planning? Or did I read you wrong, and you actually wanted to marry Gaston?"

"That's not the same!"

"Yes! It is!" He yelled. "You took a deal with The Dark One because you knew your father would force you to marry Gaston. I'm betting that he wasn't going to let you stay a virgin after your wedding night. Your father is the same as me. We both do what we have to in order to hold onto our power." He laughed hysterically at her distressed look. "I'm right, aren't I, dearie? There isn't a difference between what I wanted and what fathers do to their daughters all the time." He gave her a wild smile and said, "Tell me about your mother, Belle?"

"What about my mother?" She looked shocked.

He laughed and held his hands together in joy. "Oh, you don't know?" She shook her head. "Your mother was in love with a farmer, a poor farmer. Her parents made sure she never saw him again and handed her over to your father. There was a reason she had one child. She used to try to throw him out of her room."

"That's not true!"

He grew serious for once and stared at her, "Have I ever lied?"

"No…"

"I'm no different than any other man. I just have more power, and when I act like another man, they pretend to be horrified. I saved you from being 'bedded' by Gaston. You're welcome."

"But that woman, you still want Baelfire to… force her."

He shook his head, "It's too late for that, dearie. She's found her True Love."

She tucked him in a bit more and wiped a tear from her eye. "I didn't want to marry Gaston. You're right about my father forcing me to marry him."

"See, dearie. I'm like every other father that forces their daughter into marriage."

She nodded at him, stood, and walked towards the door. Right when she got there, she looked back and said, "Too bad you aren't better than them. You could be if you tried." She then walked out the door shutting it firmly behind her. She thought about how he had saved her from being forced into a marriage with Gaston. She sighed and went back to her chores.

Back at Amos' shop right after Emma blasted The Dark One, it was eerily silent. Amos saw that her eyes were wide in shock, and her hands were trembling.

Billy grabbed them both, held them tightly, and got her attention. "Captain Hook will be here any minute. Are you hurt? How is your heart?!"

She looked down at him and brought her hand to her chest. "I'm fine. He didn't get my heart, and he didn't hurt me." She paused and looked so confused. "I think I hurt him. I just don't know how I did that."

"Good!" Billy said. "I'm glad you did. It may keep him away for a bit." He then dropped her hands and turned on the shopkeeper. "You didn't look surprised."

Amos shook, "I owed him a favor! I had to turn her in! He saved my boy's life."

"You didn't have to turn over an innocent woman!" He roared. He looked at Sharkbait and Mac. "Get to it! Destroy his shop. He has to pay for what he did." He looked at Amos. "Run before I shoot you." He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at his heart. Amos ran away as fast as he could. As much as Billy hated him, he couldn't take a loving father away from a son.

Sharkbait and Mac were destroying the shop with their swords when Killian arrived in a panic. He'd heard the noise coming from the shop. He took in all they were doing and observed Billy standing by Emma with his gun pointed at the door. When he saw his captain, he brought the pistol down, but when Killian walked to Emma, he brought it back up and aimed it at the entrance again.

Emma smiled at Killian and stepped into his arms. "I'm okay. The Dark One tried to get me, but somehow I injured him."

"Are you injured at all, Love?"

She shook her head, but it was Billy who responded. "She's not hurt, Captain. Any blood you see is The Dark One's. She's amazing."

He looked at Billy, "What happened?"

"The shop owner owed The Dark One a favor. He told him she was here. He tried to take Swan's heart, but he couldn't. Then she blasted him with her magic. He was injured and left." He swallowed hard. "I let the shop owner run. I'm sorry if I should have just shot him."

"You did a good job, Kid." He pulled Emma with him towards the door and yelled out. "Go round up the crew. We're leaving anyone who's too slow. We sail with the tide in an hour!"

He hastily brought her back to the ship and yelled for Old Tom to get them ready to sail. He then brought her to his cabin and closed and locked the door.

Emma kissed him hard, startling him. "Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me. Now."

He kissed her passionately and pulled her flush against him. When he pulled back, he said, "What's on your mind, Love?"

"Magic. I had an incredible amount of it today. I felt it. Whatever happened last night saved me. I never had that much power before." She held him tightly. "Your love saved me, Killian."

He looked at her in shock, "You think you had more magic because we made love?!"

"We handfasted last night. I think it was the lovemaking and our marriage." She kissed his chest where his shirt gaped open in the front.

"Swan, your magic has to be good. How can a villain be a part of that?"

She smiled up at him, "Shut up, Killian. I'm more powerful, and the only one who could have done anything was you. Get over yourself and accept it." She held out her hand and drew on a spell Regina had taught her, but she could never perform. In her hand blazed a bright fireball. She smiled up at him, "I still have access to the increased power." She smiled at him, stepped back, and launched the fireball at him. She laughed as he flinched. It dissolved as soon as it touched him. "My magic can't hurt you. I was right!"

"Wait! You were experimenting with that fireball! You could have burned me?" He looked shocked.

"Yup!" She smiled at him. "I was sure that you were the cause of my increased power. That just confirmed it."

He shook his head. "I guess I have to believe it now. You spend your nights in my bed like we discussed from now on. Go get a change of clothes." He gave her a heated look, "No need for anything to wear tonight."

She smiled at him. "Planning on not letting me leave this room the rest of the night?"

"As long as we're docked, I want you hidden in here. That man isn't the only one The Dark One will have looking for you." He kissed her. "We sail for Tortuga. Odd when it's pirates I can trust the most now. They know better than to be in debt to The Dark One."

Emma sat on his bed when he left and stilled her trembling hand. What in the world did all of the new magical power actually mean?!