Author's note: Well, from this chapter on there will changes, small but notable!
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Arthur moved to strike at Hook, when Emma and Caitlynn appeared as then Emma was blocking his sword with Excalibur. Arthur looked at her. "Excalibur." He was breathing shallowly. "It's whole."
"Yes, it is." Emma told him. "But it's not going to help you." She put away her sword. "This sword doesn't control anyone now."
just then Caitlynn throws Arthur against a tree. "Dumb ass."
Hook was breathing heavily. "I suppose I should say thank you."
"You don't need to say anything." Emma looked at him. "Just don't do that again."
Hook looked at Emma. "I should apologize for what I said that day aboard my ship."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "For when you refused to accept me or when you said you did not love me?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that." Hook sighed.
Emma looked disappointed. "Doesn't matter. I'm the Dark One."
Caitlynn looked at them, but didn't say anything yet as Hook comment. "You're more than the Dark One. You're still you. You saved me. That was Emma."
"Emma was always Emma, dumb ass." Caitlynn muttered as she moved over to her sister.
Emma looked at him. "What do you want from me?"
"I want to help you." Hook replied to her. "And I need your help to do it. Who is Nimue, and how can she defeat the darkness?"
"I still don't like him." Caitlynn muttered to her sister.
"Don't care." Emma muttered back as then she replied to Hook. "Nimue doesn't matter anymore. This will all be over tomorrow."
Hook looked confused. "What will be over? And why do you need that damned sword? Ah. All this power, and you don't even have the courage to answer one simple bloody question. Why do you need Excalibur? I know you're still in there, Emma, and I know that despite everything, you always have your reasons!"
"You're right! I do!" Emma shouted angry. "You want to know why I'm doing all of this? I'm doing it for you." Hook was confused as a donkey.
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Caitlynn, Jackson, Aubrey, Granny and Henry were waiting for Emma and the others come back, but then only Emma came back as Henry asked to her. "Mom, did you do it? Did you find the Spark of..."
Emma interrupted her son. "Prometheus, yes." She nodded. "Now we can use it to fix Excalibur."
Granny walked towards them. "Finally, some good news."
"That's great, Mom." Henry smiled at his mother. "Let's get that darkness out of you."
"Yes, let's." Emma nodded at them she noticed that the others weren't there. "Where's the sword?"
"I don't know." Henry shrugged. "No one's come back with it."
"Really?" Emma asked confused as Caitlynn nodded. "They should've been back hours ago. Have you seen Merlin?"
"He was with you, sis." Caitlynn replied to her.
"I thought he was with you." Henry added.
Emma was confused. "He was, but then he vanished. Something's wrong. I don't think we're safe here anymore. Granny, let's close up shop."
Just then, Jonathon appeared as Jackson told them. "Some of us need to stay here."
"What are you doing here?" Caitlynn looked at Jonathon.
"I was called by Merlin and he said that I was needed here." He replied to her.
"Okay." Caitlynn nodded.
Then Emma repeated what she just said. "Granny, let's close up shop."
"One step ahead of you. Henry, lock the front. I got the back." Granny throws the key to Henry, but they were both frozen by magic.
Emma had widened eyes. "Henry?"
"Dad, Aubrey?" Caitlynn looked at them.
"They'll be fine once we're done." Merlin spoke up. "I'm sorry for the theatrics. It's not usually my style, but... I had to follow orders."
"Orders? Who's orders?" The twins asked.
"Merlin?" Jonathan looked in shock.
"Arthur's." Merlin sighed. "My wayward pupil has done something I did not foresee. He's tethered me to Excalibur. Arthur has ordered me to re-forge Excalibur into a whole sword, which means I will need your dagger and the Promethean Flame."
The twins shook with their heads. "No."
"Then he will order me to kill your family, and Emma, Caitlynn, as much as I hate it, I will obey him." Merlin told them.
The twins looked in shock. "Arthur has my family?" As then Caitlynn added. "Asshole."
Merlin nodded, had a small smile on his face. "Yes." But then, he went serious again. "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 dagger and the flame."
"That's not enough time." Emma shook with her head. "This isn't even a flame yet."
"I've seen the strength in you, Emma." Merlin disagreed with her. "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?' Emma sighed.
"Acceptance is a form of strength." Merlin looked at her. "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."
"I'm sorry, Merlin, but it's our family we are talking about." Caitlynn looked at him, seriously. "We will fight till the very end."
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Present time, Caitlyn and Gold were in his shop as then the doorbell jingled. "Crocodile, we need to talk." Hook shouted.
Just then, Caitlynn and Gold appeared. "Didn't you hear? I'm not that man anymore. Caitlynn, you can, uh..." Caitlynn lowered her hand that was pointed at Hook.
"Yeah. Sorry, I thought you might be a bear." Caitlynn lied to him.
"It's a good thing I'm not." Hook looked at her. "Magic wouldn't do you much good."
Just then, Gold walked towards a painting. "Well, best we could manage. I did have some squid ink set aside for a rainy day, but, uh, unfortunately..." He open it. "She found it."
"Dark Ones are clever like that, clever enough to make everyone believe that they've really changed." Hook nodded. "I need to know what's going on inside Emma's head now. She said she's doing all this because of me."
"Clearly, I'm not on the dagger, so…" Caitlynn comment. "You are not afraid of me?"
Hook shook with his head. "You are clearly you." He gestured at her.
Then Caitlynn walked to Gold. "He wrong, he should be afraid of me."
Gold nodded to her as then he told to Hook. "This isn't about what you did. It's about what she did."
"You're sure of that?" Hook asked to him.
"I've seen the look on her face." Gold replied to him as Caitlynn walked to the back from the shop. "One that I-I know only too well... regret. I became the Dark One to save my son. Committed countless sins along the way, convinced myself I would atone for them all once I'd found him. But things never work out the way you think they will. If you want to find out what Emma Swan is after, find out what she's atoning for."
"And how do I do that?" Hook sighed. "I've been looking all over for her. She doesn't want to be found."
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3 weeks ago, Emma and Caitlynn were outside of Granny's as then the Rumpelstiltskin came to them. "I wouldn't light that if I were you. Which as a matter of fact, I am. If Arthur uses that to forge Excalibur, he will kill you, and that's bad news for those of us in your head."
"I don't have a choice. I need to ignite this spark to save my family. I can't risk their lives." Emma couldn't let the flame as then she sighed. "What the hell's wrong with this?"
"Wrong with it? Or wrong with you?" Rumpelstiltskin looked at her. "Merlin said you can only light that when you're ready to let go of the darkness. So, perhaps you're not."
"Oh, shut up." Caitlynn muttered.
Emma looked at him. "You're wrong."
"Well, prove it then, dearie." Rumpelstiltskin taunted her. "Light the flame. Go on, do it. Just... just do it. Just..." Then, he shouted at the end. "Just light it!"
"I'm trying!" Emma shouted back.
Just then, Caitlynn noticed Henry coming their way as he greeted them. "Hey."
Emma looked at her som. "Henry. You weren't supposed to see that."
"What were you trying to do?" Henry asked as he walked further towards them.
"Get this flame lit." Emma replied to him.
"Well, what do the voices say?" Henry asked to her.
"They disagree." Caitlynn replied to him.
"That I can't do it because I don't want to give up the darkness." Emma added.
"Maybe you just need a little motivation. Here. I've got something to show you." Henry handed her a newspaper's wanted ads section with a red circle around one ad. "A little project Hook and I were working on. Operation Light Swan. He was looking for a house you'd like so when we get back home..."
"That's my sue to leave,." Caitlynn comment as then she walked away from them.
Emma looked at her sister, then at her son. "...he can ask me to move in."
"He said that the house is a promise, kind of like a plan for the future." Henry smiled at her.
"You know what?" Emma sighed. "That voice in my head was right. I don't want to give up the darkness. Not yet."
Henry looked confused. "What?"
"I need to use it one last time." Emma replied to him as then she walked towards Granny's to get to her sister.
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Emma and Caitlynn were walking in the woods to an open place, where Arthur and Zelena stood and had held their family. "We brought the dagger and the flame, but you don't get it until you free our family." The twins said on the same time.
"No." Arthur shook with his head. "You will hand it over now, or I unleash Merlin."
"Emma, Caitlynn, please." Merlin told to the twins. "I don't want to fight you two."
"No, but I do." Zelena stepped forwards. "So, now that mommy's got her magic back... tell us, Dark Ones. What are you gonna do?" Zelena pointed at their family. "So, Dark Ones, who should I execute first? Hmm? Your boyfriend or your father?"
"You can have the flame." Emma replied to her.
Arthur pointed at the box. "Zelena, make sure that's real." Dark ropes erupted from the box and tied Zelena to a tree as Caitlynn smirked.
"Now you want to give me my family?" Emma asked to him. "Or keep fighting?"
"Merlin!" Arthur shouted.
"Please, Emma. Give him the flame. This is a battle you cannot win." Merlin said a s then they used their magic on each other, then Caitlynn joined as well. "I wish you could defeat me, Emma, Caitlynn. But I've played this game for too long." Emma lost the magical struggle and was knocked back.
"Aah!" Emma shouted.
"Omg." Caitlynn groaned as then she was knocked on the ground, soft, knowing Merlin, he was soft on her.
"Merlin, kill their mother." Arthur commanded.
"No." Caitlynn shouted as Merlin conjured a vine that went around Snow's neck as she gasped.
"Mary Margaret!" Charming shouted as he wanted to get free.
"It's no good." Robin shouted as well. "They're too strong."
"Keep trying." Regina groaned.
Just then, Emma looked at Merlin. "Merlin, you have to fight it."
"I can't!" Merlin shouted.
Suddenly, Amelia was lose and used her magic to distract Merlin as then Hook removed his hook and escaped his chains. Then he pulled the sword out of his hand, then there was a gut on his neck as then Arthur wanted to grab it, but Hook put his foot on Arthur's hand to keep him from picking up Excalibur. "I know someone else who needs that." He comment.
Arthur unties Zelena. "Get us out of here." He commanded her as then they disappeared in green smoke.
Then Charming freed Snow as Caitlynn and Emma walked towards them. "How are you?" Caitlynn asked.
"I'm okay." Snow nodded.
Emma looked at Hook. "Thank you."
Hook looked back at her. "Easy, Swan. You got tagged pretty good there."
Emma gestured at wound on his neck. "So did you."
"This thing?" Hook touched the wound. "Well, I've had worse cuts itching my nose with the wrong hand."
"Shh. Hold still." Emma used her magic on him and the wound disappeared.
Hook smiled at her. "Thank you. Didn't even sting. Look at that. There's a sword."
"Killian, we did it." Emma smiled back. "Now all I have to do is light the spark and then we can get the darkness out."
"Well, then let's do it and go home." Hook comment.
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"You punched him?" Henry looked at Hook. "Awesome."
"Gave him a left hook, if you know what I mean." Hook replied to him.
Just then, Charming and Belle came through the door. "Well, the woods are clear. Zelena and Arthur must have retreated somewhere far from here." Charming told them.
"I'm afraid Merlin won't be much help. Resisting Excalibur has taken its toll on him." Belle added.
"That's unfortunate." Caitlynn comment.
"Caitlynn." Amelia exclaimed to her daughter.
"Sorry, mom." Caitlynn muttered to her.
"It's forgiven, but give a good example to your daughter and your unborn child." Amelia told her daughter.
"Okay." Caitlynn nodded.
Regina looked at Snow. "And Emma? How's she doing with the spark?"
"Well, she said she needed some time alone." Snow sighed. "She took it outside."
"We have to wait then." Jonathan comment to them.
"Why are you still here?" Regina looked at him.
"He's family." Jackson replied to her, instead.
"Right." Regina comment as then she walked outside.
A few minutes later, Charming, Hook, Caitlynn and Snow went outside as well as then they saw that Regina was holding the dagger. "What the hell?" Caitlynn exclaimed.
"Regina, what are you doing?" Charming nearly shouted.
"I'm getting answers." Regina replied to him.
"Again, what the hell?!" Caitlynn looked at her in disbelieve. "That's not how we do it!"
"By controlling her?" Hook was silently agreeing with Caitlynn. "That's enough." Regina scoffed as Hook looked at Emma. "Are you all right?" Emma didn't say a word as she grabbed the flame and the dagger, then she walked away from them.
Then Snow looked at Regina. "You really think you're helping her by being cruel?"
"I wasn't cruel. I've been cruel." Regina glanced at Emma retreating form. "And trust me, you'd know it. I was getting to the truth. It's not my fault that it's painful."
Then Caitlynn looked at Hook. "Go after her."
He looked surprised at her. "Do you mean that?"
"Yes, I still don't like you, but you are good for my sister, so…" Caitlynn trailed off. "Now go after her." Which he did.
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Present time, Caitlynn looked in disbelieve at her sister. "So, you want to use Zelena and poor the dark ones magic into her? And then use the sword to destroy it." She summarized.
"Pretty much." Emma nodded.
"I will not stop you, but look out for the others." Caitlynn told her.
"I know." Emma nodded.
Caitlynn sighed. "Be careful."
"I will, sis." Emma had a small smile on her as then she disappeared in grey smoke. Then she reappeared in the hospital by Zelena and Robin. "Look who's glowing. Congrats."
Robin had pulled out his sword. "I will not let you take this baby."
Regina stepped forwards. "Not without a fight."
"That would be a problem if it was the baby I was after." Emma disappeared with Zelena.
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Later, Emma made an entrance with Caitlynn, who had agreed to come. "I don't. I'm not taking Zelena's magic. I'm giving her mine instead." Emma looked at Hook.
Zelena looked dumbfounded. "What?"
"Oh, sweetheart, Emma was never the villain." Caitlynn hissed.
Emma was still looking at Hook. "Killian, you were right. My plan is not to destroy light magic. It's been to destroy dark magic... The dark magic that's inside of me."
Hook looked in disbelieve. "If that were true, why keep it secret from me or the rest of your family?"
"They would stop her." Caitlynn scoffed.
Emma nodded to her sister, glanced at her. "Because I knew you would never let me do what was necessary to get the job done."
"And that's where I come in." Zelena realized.
"Correctomondo." Caitlynn pointed at her., they looked at her weirdly. "What I'm still the same Caitlynn as you wanted to disbelieve that too as well with Emma."
"Yes." Emma nodded to her. "The darkness needs to be contained in a vessel... you."
Hook looked at Emma. "Emma, what are you going to do?"
"What needs to be done." Emma nodded firmly. "I'm going to cut her down with Excalibur's enchanted blade, and the darkness will be vanquished forever."
"That's why you needed my baby out." Zelena told her.
"We don't hurt children." Caitlynn sighed, rubbing her stomach.
"There are limits." Emma added.
"You call those limits, Emma?" Hook looked in disbelieve. "You're still talking about cold-blooded murder."
"You didn't hear a word what I say, what am I, a shopped liver?" Caitlynn asked, scoffing at them.
"Killian, she killed Neal and Marian. Given time, she will kill you, too." Emma reasoned with him.
"After today, you can be certain." Zelena hissed.
"Oh bloody hell." Caitlynn muttered as she waved with her hand and Zelena was asleep.
Hook was trying to convince Emma. "This isn't about Zelena, Emma. It's about you. We went to Camelot for Merlin's help. Surely he has a solution to the darkness that doesn't require this."
"Merlin can't help us anymore." Emma replied to him.
"Why not? What happened there? Why are you really doing this?" Hook asked d al these questions, it formed a head ache in Caitlynn mind.
"He's dead, dead, dead." Caitlynn sang as then she and Emma disappeared in grey/purple smoke, leaving him dumbfounded.
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They appeared upstairs and opened the front door, seeing their parents and Regina. "I don't need saving." Emma told them. "You're gonna have to trust me. By the time I'm done with Zelena, you'll all be thanking me, especially you, Regina."
Regina looked confused. "And why would I thank you?"
"You don't remember this, but back in Camelot, you helped me admit some things about myself." Emma replied to her. "And now I'm ready to repay the favor. Because deep down, we both know you'll be happier when Zelena is gone."
Regina looked at her. "Gone? This is not the way, Miss Swan, and you know it."
"We're back to Miss Swan?" Emma asked annoyed.
"Well, start acting like Emma again and we'll talk." Regina replied to her.
"She is Emma." Caitlynn told them all as Emma trusted the reunited Excalibur into the sidewalk, which put a magical barrier around the house and froze her family.
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Hook was searching as then removed a painting from the wall. Just then the door opened, closed "Really? I was trying to help you." Emma scoffed ads Caitlynn added. "Still the same pirate."
"Swan." Hook sighed and saw the squid ink taped to the back of the picture and throw the contents of the bottle at Emma. "I'm sorry, love. You've left me no choice. Regina was right. You are a villain now, and now you're gonna tell me exactly what happened in Camelot to make you that way. How are you going to make me do that?"
"Everything we have told is the truth." Caitlynn replied to him. "And why not use it on me?" She wondered, looking at the empty bottle.
"You are with child, there are limits." Hook replied to her.
Caitlynn smirked. "Right." She comment. "Took us back with our own words."
Just then Zelena walked towards them. "I've got some ideas. I see you found the squid ink, Captain."
Hook looked surprised to see her. "Zelena, why the hell did you come back?"
"I thought about how you said you couldn't run until you got some answers, and I realized I couldn't run either... Not without making the Dark Ones pay." Zelena replied to him.
Caitlynn rolled with her eyes. "I'm not even a real dark one."
"Whatever you think you're doing..." Emma told them as then she saw what Zelena was about to do. "No! No!"
Zelena stabbed Hook in the chest with a knife, Hook groaned. "I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? Of course that's nothing compared to the surprise that you're feeling right now. You're saying to yourself, I just got stabbed in the chest. Why shouldn't it hurt more? Why am I not dead?"
Hook pulled out the knife, looking very confused. "What the hell is happening? Answer me, Witch!"
"Well, you could take my word, or you could return the memories that the Dark One stole. See for yourself." Zelena pulled out a dreamcatcher. "I found this outside."
"Don't trust her." Emma looked afraid. "I can explain everything, Killian."
Hook breathed shallowly. "Do it."
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3 weeks ago, they were in Granny's as Merlin looked at "Emma. Are you ready?"
"Yes." Emma nodded. "Then it's time to destroy the darkness once and for all."
"Bloody hell." Suddenly Hook grabbed his neck, before he collapsed and before Emma can reunite the sword.
"Hook, what's wrong?" Charming asked.
"He's bleeding!" Snow exclaimed.
"No shit, Sherlock." Caitlynn muttered, but Amelia heard her.
"Caitlynn." She scolded her.
"Woops." Caitlynn comment.
Hook groaned as Emma crouched down, next to him. "Killian." He was breathing heavily. "No."
"When did that happen?" Regina asked confused.
"It was Excalibur." Emma replied. "But it was just a small cut. I healed it."
Merlin sighed, looking at them. "I'm afraid it only seemed that way. Excalibur was forged to cut immortal ties. A wound from it cannot be healed."
"Could have told us when we first met." Caitlynn groaned.
Jonathan looked at her. "That's not how he will do."
"Oh well that's nice to hear, not." Caitlynn sassed him.
Snow looked at Merlin. "What? There has to be something we can do, that she can do."
"Even Emma's power isn't strong enough, nor is my own." Merlin replied, looking very sad.
"But mine and Emma's is." Caitlynn suggested.
"No, no, no, no, no, no." Amelia was very firm. "Did mention no?"
"Yes, you did, mom." Caitlynn sighed.
"Good, cause you are still pregnant and you are not gonna let you child's life in danger." Amelia told her adopted daughter.
"I know that." Caitlynn sighed heavily, annoyed.
Emma looked at her true love. "Killian, you have to hold on. I can't lose you."
Hook smiled, weakly. "It's all right. Emma, it's all right."
Emma shook wither hear, tears forming in her eyes. "No. Please, no. Don't leave me. You have to stay. You have to stay. Come on, Killian. What about our future together?"
"Our future is now." Hook replied to her. "Reunite the blades so I can see them before I go."
"No!" Emma told him firmly.
"No?" Regina asked.
Emma looked at her. "I'm not gonna let him die when I know there's a way to save him."
Regina sighed. "Emma... Merlin said it. There's nothing you can do."
"That's what he said, but it's not true, is it?" Emma looked at Merlin. "You told me how powerful I am. Let's use that power. I-I can use the Promethean Flame to release you from Excalibur, and then I can use it to tether Hook's life to it instead. It could save him."
"Emma, you know what that could do." Merlin told her.
Regina realized. "Create another Dark One."
"Oh bloody hell." Caitlynn sighed.
"It will multiply the darkness so that it cannot be destroyed." Merlin told them. "Not without you paying the steepest of prices. It will be your final step into the dark."
"And that's not good." Caitlynn looked at him. "I assume."
"I don't care what happens to me." Emma said firmly.
"Emma, wait." Charming began as Snow finished. "Please. Listen, you can't."
"Emma, your parents are right." Regina agreed with them.
Emma looked at her. "If you could've saved Daniel or Robin... Look how far you were willing to go, how far you pushed me to save him!" Her voice was breaking. "I'm not gonna lose Killian. I won't let anyone stop me." Then she and Hook disappeared.
Not much later, There was something coming out of Merlin as Robin exclaimed. "What's happening?"
Merlin sighed "It's too late."
"Oh, bloody hell. She's actually doing it." Caitlynn looked at Merlin with eyes widen.
-0-
Present time Hook Sighed. "I'm so sorry, Killian. But I did not have a choice." Emma had tears in her eyes.
Hook shook with his in disbelieve. "No, no, no. No, there has to be some other explanation."
"Aww. Are you finding the truth hard to swallow? Here. Have a look at the sword. A glamour spell." Zelena waved with her hand over the sword as then she Chuckled. "It was there the whole time right under your nose, and you didn't even see it." Then she laughed evilly. "Ooh, I suppose it's not the Dark One anymore, is it? More like the Dark Ones."
"So, that's why you saved my life twice tonight." Hook looked Emma. "I was never in any danger. You just wanted to keep me from the truth."
"I wanted to fix it first to make up for what I had done." Emma said weakly with tearing eyes.
"By killing me? How sweet." Zelena was being sarcastically.
"It was the only way to destroy the darkness in both of us." Emma told Hook. "Everything I've done since we got back to Storybrooke was to try to save you, Killian."
Hook pointed at himself. "This is saving? How could you do this to me?"
Emma looked down. "I'm sorry."
"So much for our future, Swan." Hook scoffed.
Zelena chuckled. "Now, tell me. Are you ready to learn what else happened in Camelot?"
"Aye." Hook nodded. "But first we have to take care of her." He pointed at Emma.
Then Caitlynn disappeared in grey/purple smoke. She appeared in front of her adopted parents and Gold. "What happened?" Gold asked concerned for his wife and his unborn child.
"Nothing to me and the baby, but Emma." Caitlynn replied to him.
-0-
Author's note: And chapter done! Whoohoo.