A/N: Hi Everyone! I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to say thank you to all who responded to my last chapter. You motivate me to continue this story and update faster. I hope you all like the chapter. Also, don't forget to favorite and/or follow this story if you haven't already! This will alert you about updates to this story and let me know who enjoys the story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please excuse any grammar errors. Now, imagine the title crawl of OUAT (with the music of course) and enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned anything from OUAT, Killian Jones would've been my date to my senior prom. And that would have been awesome!
Chapter 3
The crickets chirp as nightfall begins its harmonic melody. The mighty oak trees sway in the wind. On one of their branches, a collection of sailor knots dance in the breeze. They are Hook's distraction, his retreat from the darkness.
After wandering through the thick forest for hours, but getting nowhere, he decided to stop and rest. Little does he realize, the darkness hovers over him, always awake. It refuses to release its crippling grasp on his soul, leaving Hook unable to find even a sojourn in sleep.
To pass the time and distract himself, the pirate produces a colossal pile of rope with his new powers. Never in his life has magic been at his disposal. Hook couldn't count the amount of times magic would've been an asset to give him the life he always wanted. He could've conjured riches beyond compare. he could've defeated Pan and won his freedom. But most of all, he could've used magic to save Milah from the Crocodile. His powers give him the freedom and power he craves, yet an emptiness rests inside his soul.
Hook's fingers twist and turn to recreate every sailor's knot he can remember. Working with his hands bring comfort and solace, if only for a moment, from his new companion. The demon torments Hook relentlessly ever since he entered this realm.
The voices and temptations in his head echo in his ears. He wants to give in, just to quiet their nagging, but something holds him back. It is easier to surrender to the darkness and its desires than to resist. But of the hundreds of voices competing for his attention, there is one that remains distinct. It is faint, a quiet presence in the shrieks of the darkness, but it is the one that Hook cannot let go of.
"Killian, come back to me."
Hook's head swirls with confusion. He knows he heard that voice once before, but cannot quite remember who it belongs to. He knows it is not owned by Milah, leaving him to wonder who said it.
Every time he tries to remember, the darkness clouds his memories, leaving him puzzled. All he knows is that it is a desperate plea for him to return. But who would want to save him? Who would call him back from the depths of despair? Who would want to prevent him from falling off the edge and plunging into darkness?
It is the voice's use of the name, Killian, that strikes him the most. Killian Jones is the name of the man he used to be. Very few people ever called him by his real name. His crew referred to him as Captain, and everyone else called him by his moniker. He only recalls his father, his brother, and Milah ever using his real name when they addressed him. So who in his past thinks he has enough worth to care to know his own name?
Emma's eyes begin to strain as she scours the last page of a book about sorcery. Annoyed, she slams the cover shut and tosses it into the pile of its companions, which have all proven to be useless as well. She's been at this for hours. When the rain ceased to fall, Emma traveled to the library. While the entire town stays asleep and quiet, she vigilantly reads an entire case of books that discuss sorcery, darkness, and wizards. There must to be something about Merlin and his exact location in them, encouraging the Savior's resolve to investigate.
A slight chill overtakes Emma, causing her to cling to her leather and pull it closer to her torso. She still wears Killian's jacket and doesn't want to take it off. Keeping it on feels like she holds onto a piece of him, reminding her of what she fights for.
As the skies clear and the golden sun peeks its forehead in the horizon, a wave of exhaustion smacks Emma hard. She can't sleep, but her body begs her to try. Refusing to give up, she shakes her head in a last ditch effort to stay awake and fetches another book from the shelves. As she skims the volume's pages, the library's front door swings open.
Fully expecting it to be her mother, who she never called back, or even Henry, Emma glances up from her seat with surprise to see Belle strolling in. The bookworm's dainty shoes clap against the tile as she approaches the table. Moments later, she reaches from behind her back and reveals a cup of Granny's signature coffee and a bag of food.
"I thought you could use the pick me up," she smiles, setting her offering down on the table next to Emma.
"Wow—" Emma says with a hint of surprise in her tone. "Thank you."
Though Emma knows Belle, they've never been "close friends". She isn't quite sure why, but comes to the conclusion that they live different and opposing lives. While Emma plays the sheriff and constantly focuses on her role of being the Savior, Belle often keeps quiet and enjoys spending her time reading books and taking care of Gold's shop.
"Granny told me it's a cup of her strongest brew."
"It's 6 o'clock in the morning," Emma realizes. "Granny's doesn't open until 7."
"Well—" Belle chuckles to herself. "I found that if you bang on the front door long enough, she'll eventually let you in."
The bookworm removes her silver coat and folds it over the chair, revealing a royal blue cardigan to match her plaid skirt. When she saunters over to the shelves and pulls out a novel, Emma opens her gift and inspects the treats. Last night's grilled cheese is long gone, and her stomach growls. When she looks inside, she delightfully finds warm cinnamon buns resting at the bottom.
"Have you managed to find anything?" Belle asks, taking the chair next to Emma.
"Nothing," Emma sighs. "Unless you want to know how to turn a toad into a prince, boil children, or how to make a dwarf angry."
"I don't think anyone needs a book to know how to make Leroy mad," Belle grins. "All Granny has to do is tell him that she's out of bacon."
They both fall silent as Emma sips her coffee and Belle tackles a history book written in an ancient language. As she sits. the Savior finds it requires an ample amount of her willpower to not spew the coffee out of her mouth. She never was a huge coffee drinker, always preferring a cup of hot cocoa with cinnamon. Though, knowing that the bitter drink is her only source of energy, Emma forces it down her throat in tiny sips. The cinnamon buns, however, taste divine. Recalling the fair share of bagels from the time she lived in New York, the Savior decides she favors the sticky buns dripping with icing. Their sugary icing alleviates the sour taste that the coffee remnants leave in her mouth.
The minutes tick by and though Emma finds nothing, Belle occasionally writes down some possible clues. The sheriff keeps up her hopes that they can actually find something. As the minutes tick by, it doesn't take long for Emma to notice the way Belle blinks her bloodshot eyes profusely.
"Belle, did you sleep at all last night?"
The beauty peers up from her book and takes a moment before she nods.
"I tried to sleep, but—I've been so worried about Rumple. Blue is with him now, while I told her I needed some time alone."
Emma's heart falls as she feels a tinge of guilt. Belle is nothing but helpful and kind to her this morning, but she forgets how much last night affected the librarian too.
"I hate the fact that there is nothing I can do for him," Belle confesses, placing a ringlet of chestnut behind her ear. "I thought that the Apprentice could help—but—now I'm afraid he'll never wake up."
It surprises Emma how much Belle cares about Gold, even after he constantly betrays her trust and strains their relationship. During the weeks Gold remained banished from Storybrooke, Emma saw Belle spending most of her time with Will Scarlet. Yet, it did not slip past her how unhappy Belle seemed and how disappointment hid within in her smile. It's almost as if—she missed the Dark One.
"How do you love him?" Emma asks, staring into space. Belle glances up from her book with a puzzled look.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I mean—how do you love Gold, even after everything he's done?"
Emma does not accuse Belle, rather she feels confused. With Killian now the Dark One, Belle is the only person who understands what kind of agony she experiences. How can Emma love Killian as the Dark One? Emma carefully observed Gold, as the Dark One, push everyone away, even in Henry's book. Only Belle seems to find an admirable and redeemable quality inside of him.
Gently closing the cover of her book and leaning back in her chair, Belle takes a deep breath before answering, "I love him because there is still good inside of him. I—I never knew Rumple before he was the Dark One. When we met, he had already been the Dark One for hundreds of years. I grew up hearing stories about Rumpelstiltskin, how he destroyed villages and many lives. But, when I got to know him—I saw something else."
"And what was that?" Emma inquires.
"I saw a man—not a beast. His castle in the Enchanted Forest was filled with objects, wands, and potions that could give him anything his heart desired except for one thing—love. Rumple was never loved by any person in his life except his son. That's why he created the Dark Curse. That's why you were destined to break it."
"No offense, but as much as that all sounds nice and sweet, all he seems to want these days is more power."
"I know," Belle nods. "And that is the reason I banished him from Storybrooke. But it wasn't until I saw him last night, barely clinging to life, that it finally all came together for me. Rumple craves more power because he thinks it's the only thing that makes him feel like he matters."
Belle turns and looks deep into Emma's soul. "His lust for power is his deepest cry, the cry of a desperate man, begging to be loved and accepted. The man who Rumple was before the Dark One is still there. It's locked somewhere deep inside of him, but I've seen glimmers of it. He saved me, he saved the whole town from Pan, and he even gave up his power to try and save his son."
It is in this moment that Emma finds a new admiration for Belle. She remembers reading in Henry's book about how Belle gave up everything to save her family and her people. The beauty suffered years of abuse locked in the Evil Queen's tower and in the asylum. She lives most of her life misunderstood and mistreated by the people who should've loved her. Nonetheless, she still chooses to see the best in every person she meets and never gives up on the people she loves. In Emma's eyes, Belle is one of the bravest people she has ever met.
"It is far easier to hate a Dark One than it is to love one, but the man behind the beast is there, Emma," Belle declares. "I know he is. The darkness has not destroyed every part of him. The man I love is worth saving and If I have to spend the rest of my life searching for him and rescuing him from his darkness, I will do that."
Emma reaches over and gives Belle's hand a reassuring squeeze. "He's going to wake up, Belle."
"Thank you," Belle smiles. "I hope so."
"We're waiting, Dark One." the demon calls.
It is the middle of the night, and the constant torment exhausts Hook. He wishes more than anything he could end the madness and crush the sniveling voice's heart. He tires of listening to his companion's tempting and annoying pleas.
"Silence!" Hook barks. "I've had enough of you and your conniving thoughts. Why don't you just go away?!"
"I'll go away when you do what I want," he giggles.
Hook rolls his eyes. He can't believe that of all people, he must talk to Rumplestiltskin, or at least a demon who looks like him. The demon's features are so lifelike, it's as if it really is Gold before the Dark Curse. Hook wants to appease the demon and his flesh's desires, but that tiny voice still holds him back. By now, exasperated, Hook contemplates indulging in the darkness, if for just one moment he can be rid of the voices in his head.
"Then why is she stopping me from doing just that?" he asks the demon.
Instantly, the gigantic smile and the demon's rotten teeth disappear. The question catches him off guard and leaves him confused.
"Who are you talking about?" he asks.
"The voice of the woman in my head," Hook explains. "She keeps telling me to come back to her. Who is she?"
Hook withholds the name that she used. The demon's reaction indicates to him that the it and the darkness do not know every one of his thoughts. Though he wants to tell, he keeps the name to himself. Unsure of why, the pirate feels he can use it as a weapon or at least have leverage over the darkness within him.
"Perhaps she's your mother," the demon says.
"No, she's not!" Killian responds, shaking his head. "I want the truth!"
The demon pauses, perching himself above the pirate on a rock. His scaly fingers twist together before he answers, "She's no one worth knowing."
"Then why is she in my head?"
"You were fascinated with her," the demon replies."She was lost and desperate, just a damsel in distress wanting to get back to her son. You helped her and risked your life to fight a giant. And do you know what she did? She chained you up at the top of a beanstalk and left you to die."
Hook's head falls. Though the figure sounds convincing, Hook isn't so sure he speaks the truth. Every time he tries to remember the woman, he cannot see her face, only a shadow.
"Why would she do that?" he questions.
"Because she is just like everyone else. To them, you are a tool, an end to a mean. You help them get what they want and then they don't care what happens to you."
Hook's pulse races as sweat begins to pour down his face. What if the demon is right? What if he is just someone to be used and then disposed of when he no longer serves his purpose? No one besides his brother, Liam, ever truly cared about him. His own father sold him into slavery as a young boy. He remembers being called a drunken sailor by his shipmates. Only when he became a captain, only when he became a ruthless pirate and made a name for himself did anyone ever give him the attention or the respect he deserved.
"Only Milah, your precious Milah, ever cared about you," the demon lies.
"Stop—" Hook groans. He can't bear to hear about his lost love again.
"She loved you and the places you went together. If she had lived—if you had defeated Rumplestiltskin, you two could have had a happy ending."
"Enough!" Hook screams, nearly collapsing from the exhaustion and lack of sleep he endures. He stumbles over to a rock and rests his head against it. His lungs gasp for air as his bones shake. He is not alone for long, as the demon comes creeping over.
"Oh my poor Captain—" he hisses. "Your torment only comes from the fact that you refuse to surrender. You are wasting your chance, your opportunity."
"What opportunity?"
"Why—the opportunity to get everything you ever wanted. Use the power within you to get your revenge and avenge the death of your love. Then you can make every person who wronged you suffer the consequences. You can plunder the lands, have all of the riches you could ever desire and rule over all. Every person would fear you and give you the respect you deserve and earned. You can have it all and your happy ending if you do just one thing."
"Kill Rumplestiltskin," Hook answers.
The demon's rotten teeth reappear to form and flash a smile as he perks up and laughs. "Now that is more like it. But before we do that, there's one thing you must do first."
The coffee and pastries reenergize Emma and give her more willpower to continue with the tedious research. Together, Belle and Emma concentrate on scanning the books for anymore clues. Belle tackles the ancient works and the books in foreign languages while Emma studies everything else. They make an unlikely team and quickly finish several works.
In the meantime, Storybrooke begins to greet the day. The sun rises, cars zoom down the street, and Emma steals a glance at the breakfast crowd, led by Leroy, piling into Granny's for a hot meal. She has no doubt that her parents will soon be calling her to learn of her whereabouts.
Moments later, a gust of wind sweeps through the library and reveals Regina crossing the threshold. As she saunters over towards the table, her eyes dart to the corner of it.
"Emma, why do you have the dagger just sitting there like it's a trophy?"
"It's here to motivate me," the Savior answers. "I've found that if I look at it, it makes me angrier and more willing to read another book."
"Well have you found anything?"
"Not yet," Emma responds, shaking her head.
"I might have found something," Belle chimes in, glancing up from her book.
"Really?" the sheriff asks, as her eyes widen.
"Yes, but it doesn't seem to make sense. It comes from this record book from Camelot."
"Camelot?" Regina questions, plodding over to the bookworm.
"Makes sense," Emma says, causing Regina and Belle stare in her direction."Camelot is where King Arthur and the roundtable are," she explains. "I heard about stories of the knights of Camelot when I was a kid."
"Yes, this says that Merlin chose Arthur to fulfill his prophecy and restore the broken kingdom. But it also says something about Merlin being a tree."
"A tree?!" Regina scoffs. "That's ridiculous!"
"At least it's something," Belle sighs.
"Great," the Queen says with a sarcastic tone. "So our only hope of stopping the darkness and rescuing Hook is a man who is a tree?"
"Are you sure, Belle?" Emma asks.
"It looks like it," she nods before pointing to the line in the book. "It also says something else right here."
Emma leans in to the discern the scribbled handwriting. In only a few lines, her heart sinks.
"What is it?" Regina asks.
"It's something about Merlin," Belle responds. "So far, he's the only recorded person to have battled the darkness and managed to contain it. At some point, probably in the last few hundred years, he became trapped inside a magical tree. Yet, because Merlin created the Dark One, he controls and withholds the darkness from destroying the realms. Meaning, if Merlin dies, the darkness will no longer be under his control. It will be unleashed. And without the Apprentice—"
"The darkness will snuff out all of the light in all of the realms."
"And Killian will be the Dark One, forever," Emma realizes.
"Do you really think Hook would do that? Kill Merlin?" Belle inquires.
"There's no way to be sure," Regina replies. "But if Merlin stands in his way of achieving his goal, you can be certain Hook will harm him."
"So we have to get to Merlin first, if we want any chance of saving him," the Savior surmises.
"It looks to be that way," Regina responds. "But if we can't, we may have an alternative."
Emma's gaze rests on the dagger. It is their only known weapon to stop the Dark One. The Savior knows that even if she and Regina work together and use their magic, it pales in comparison to the power Killian now possesses. A sickening feeling churns in her stomach.
Meeting Regina's glance, Emma responds, "No—I won't kill him."
"I wasn't saying that."
"But we both know it's what you're thinking," Emma declares. Belle places her hand over Emma's fingers.
"It won't come to that, Emma. We'll find another way. Hook still has to figure out how to get him out of the tree. He can't kill him while he's encased by magic."
"But we don't know how to get him out either."
"For right now, let's keep looking," Belle encourages her. "There has to be something in these books."
Emma's head aches at the thought of tearing apart more book shelves.
"Well it won't matter if we can't get to Camelot," Regina states. "I skewered my vault and found nothing. Without Gold, we're gonna need a fairy godmother if we even want a chance of getting to Merlin before Hook."
"Maybe not," Emma interjects, causing Regina to raise her eyebrows. "Well, we have the Apprentice's wand."
"But it's useless if we don't know how to work it."
"Well we'll figure it out," Emma assures her, growing more anxious and exasperated.
Her world threatens to crumble as her heart tears itself to shreds. She is the Savior, she is supposed to be the strong one, the person who knows what to do. Now, she the montain in front of her leaves her with no idea where to begin.
What happens if she can't reach Merlin in time? What happens if she can't stop Killian? Emma begins to imagine what would happen if she fails. No, she won't fail. She refuses to let the obstacles in front of her stop her from saving the man she loves.
At that moment, Belle's phone rings. As she steps out to answer it, she leaves Regina and Emma by themselves. When Regina crosses her arms, she reads Emma's thoughts.
"We're going to win, Emma."
"I know, but at what cost?"
The mayor doesn't get a chance to answer, because Emma's parents, followed by Henry, come busting through the door.
"Mom!" Henry says as he runs over for a hug.
"Hey Kid. How's it going?"
"Well, besides the fact we've been looking all over town for you, we're fine," Mary Margaret answers, with a hint of dismay in her voice.
"I'm sorry," Emma responds. "I've been here all night. I just couldn't stand around and do nothing."
"Have you found anything?" David asks.
"Well, we've found that Merlin is a tree, Hook wants to kill Merlin, and if he does that then we're all in big trouble," Emma explains. "Pretty much sums that all up."
"Well, not that this isn't a "charming" gathering," Regina remarks. "But if we want to free Merlin, we need to get to work." She then turns to Emma. "You figure out how to get that wand to start, while I start looking for some spell or potion to to get Merlin out of the tree."
"Sounds like a plan," Emma responds.
"Good. Tell Belle to call me if she finds anything."
Regina scoops up a book Belle looked at and saunters out the door, heading to her vault. As she leaves, Emma turns and notices the looks on her parents' faces. Mary Margaret seems to be disappointed while David tries to understand his daughter's reasoning.
"Henry, why don't you go check on Belle and see whether or not she is coming back or going to check on Gold?" the prince suggests.
Knowing that is his cue to leave, Henry nods and heads outside to locate Belle, leaving Emma and her parents by themselves.
"Emma, did you get any sleep?" her mother inquires.
"No," she confesses. "I haven't. I've been here most of the night."
"Emma, you should have called us. You know your father and I would be here for you in a heartbeat."
"I know. I just—we're all tired from the alternate reality. I didn't want to bother you."
"You didn't want to bother us, or you didn't want our help?" David questions.
"Look, this is my fault Hook that is the Dark One," Emma says. "I couldn't stop it. He risked his life for me, and now I discover that if I fail, the only way to stop him from destroying all of the realms is to kill him. So, yes, I'm sorry if I can't sleep because the man I love, who doesn't even know that because I couldn't tell him, is the Dark One!"
Emma feels weak in the knees and grips the table to steady herself. She never expected to pour her heart out in front of her parents. Even though she knows that David and Mary Margaret are her parents, Emma still finds it difficult to express her feelings to them. Yet, they soften their expressions and offer her their love and understanding.
"Emma, we know you want to rescue Hook," David says. "But you can't do this alone. We will work much faster and get to Hook quicker if we work together."
Mary Margaret cups her daughter's face. "Emma, look at me. You will not fail, because you are my daughter. You are not only the Savior, but you are strong, determined, and someone who will never give up."
"And what happens if I can't save him?"
"It won't come to that, Emma," Mary Margaret reassures her. "You have so many people behind you. How could you fail?"
Emma shares a small smile as her mother embraces her. It's the first moment since last night that Emma feels like she breathes. There are so many pieces of the puzzle that she must solve. The weight of the world rests on her shoulders. Nonetheless, as long as her family and friends stay beside her, there is nothing Emma cannot overcome. She will find Merlin and free him. With his help, she will defeat the darkness and save Killian, because the man she loves remains trapped by the darkness.
And he is worth saving.
A/N: Tahdah! Chapter 3 is complete! I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews or critique is welcomed and appreciated. Don't worry dearies, we'll be headed Hook's way soon. I'm really enjoying this story and would love to know who's your favorite OUAT character and why. My favorite character is probably Emma. I love how she has grown over the course of the series and how she never gives up on the people she loves. Don't forget to favorite and/or follow this story to be notified when this story is updated! Until next time!
-C.M. Singer:)