Emma, Caitlynn and the others were walking down Makin Street in a hurried pace, they were trying to find Hook. "Emma, slow down." David told to her. "We need to talk about this. We need a plan."
"The plan is find Hook before he resurrects all of the Dark Ones." Emma sighed. "You think dealing with one is bad."
Leroy joined their group with Happy, Walter, Doc, Mr. Clark, and Bashful. "There's more than one Dark One?!" He exclaimed.
"It's a long story." David told him.
"Well, no matter." Leroy comment. "There's seven of us."
"Six. Dopey's still a tree." Happy reminded him.
"We may be down a dwarf, but we're ready to fight." Leroy told them all.
"You won't have to." Emma told them all. "I'm going to take care of this."
"You don't have to do this alone, is." Caitlynn told her sister, wisely.
"I know." Emma sighed.
"You think you can talk him out of this?" David asked.
"There's no talking." Regina replied to him. "We have to hit him with everything we've got."
"Well, it's not his fault." Mary Margaret sighed. "He didn't want to become the Dark One."
"But he did because of me. None of that matters anymore." Emma stopped and turned around to face the group, who also stopped walking. "Regina's right. We need to hit him with everything."
"This is a man you loved." Mary Margaret looked at her daughter.
Emma looked sad that it has come down to this. "That man died back in Camelot. Now all there is, is the Dark One. So, no matter how hard this might be... we need to split up, find him, and stop him... no matter what it takes."
-0-
Later, Gold walked up to the group, with Caitlynn. "I think I may have the answer to that. Check your wrists." Regina, Robin, Mary Margaret and the dwarfs checked their wrists, while Emma checked Henry's. The all have the same mark.
"What is that?" Emma asked, confused.
Gold pointed at Henry's mark. "That... is the mark of Charon."
"Charon?" Henry looked at his grandfather. "He was the ferryman in the old myths. He navigated a boat... to the Underworld."
"Smart lad." Gold looked at his grandson. "You see, the Dark Ones only have a... a temporary pass into this world, like a like a tourist visa. The only way for them to stay... is to trade places with living souls."
"Meaning us?" David looked at Gold.
"Exactly." Gold nodded as then he pointed to the moon. "And when the moon reaches its peak, the ferry from the underworld will arrive... and drag us down there."
"That doesn't sound good." David sighed.
"It isn't." Caitlynn looked at her father.
"Speaking as one who's died and been there, it's not." Gold told him as Caitlynn looked at her husband, sadly.
Regina looked at her former mentor. "So, how do we stop it?"
"We can't." Gold sighed. "The Underworld is worse than you can possibly imagine. It's gonna make you wish the old stories of fire and brimstone were true. It's gonna make you wish for death. And then the realization will hit... that death has already come, and this fresh torture is all that's left."
"Gold." Caitlynn scolded him, seeing Henry, that he was getting afraid.
"Gold, you're scaring Henry." Emma added.
"Good, because we should all be scared." Gold looked at her. "This is Death itself. This is a fight we cannot win."
"No, I'm not marked." Emma told him, firmly. "I'm not going to give up. There has to be something we can do."
"You're right." Gold told her. "There is something. Use this time wisely. Use it to say goodbye." Then he grabbed Caitlynn's hand as then they walked back into his shop, leaving the others standing in the road.
-0-
Not much later, they called Amelia, Jackson and Jonathan, they needed to come to the shop. Jonathan, cause he was also family. Caitlynn and Gold needed to talk to them all. A few moments later, Amelia and the others brought Aubrey with them, seeing as it was serious, Gold grabbed her and hugged her close. Then he sat down with her as Amelia asked. "What in the world is going on?"
"Well…" Caitlynn glanced at Gold. Then she explained everything to them as they looked all in shock.
When she was finished, Amelia asked to her. "What now?"
"There is nothing we can to." Caitlynn told them all.
"We can only wait." Gold told them, sounding defeated.
A few moments later, Emma and Regina walked into the shop. Gold stood up, putting Aubrey by Amelia and then he and Caitlynn walked into the main part of the shop and came face to face with them. "We're closed. Please, go away."
"No." Regina looked at him. "We're not going down without a fight. I bet there are a lot of people in the underworld who would be thrilled to see you and me."
"We deserve it." Gold sighed. "And it doesn't matter. There is no alternative."
"There might be, but I will need Excalibur." Emma told them.
"Why?" Caitlynn asked to her sister.
"The only possible way Excalibur would be of any use would be if..." Gold was interrupted by Regina.
"If Emma takes all the darkness into herself..." She sighed. "and uses the sword to destroy it."
"And herself." Gold told them.
"What?!" Caitlynn exclaimed Gold looked at them for a few moments, before going into the backroom. The sound of a sword unsheathing can be heard, He sprinkled a vile ion the sword and a few moments later, he walked back into the main part of the shop, holding Excalibur.
"Excalibur was always destined... for the hands of a true hero." He held the sword out for Emma.
Emma looked at him in believe. "That's it? You don't want to make a deal or something?"
"No." Gold shook with his head as Emma took the sword from him. "You're a brave woman, Emma Swan." Emma turned and started to leave, but Gold's voice stops her. "But it might not work."
"What? Why?" Emma asked, confused.
"Well, that blade..." Gold replied to her. "It chooses who it finds worthy. And it chooses its miracles."
"It doesn't matter." Emma told him. "Right now all that matters is I need to be with my family while I can be. Come to Granny's with me." Then she looked at Regina.
"No, I can't." Regina told her. "Robin and I need to protect Roland and the baby from Zelena. I'll catch up with you later." Then Emma leaves, Regina glanced at Gold and Caitlynn, before she leaves as well.
"Did it work?" Caitlynn asked, looking at her husband.
"Yes." Gold replied to her.
-0-
Much later, Mary Margaret, David and Henry were transported to the lake where Nimue arrived, but Robin, Regina, Gold, Caitlynn and Amelia were already there. They were surrounded by numerous Dark One's. Then Regina moved towards Henry. "Henry? Are you all right?"
Henry looked at Regina. "I-I-I think so."
Mary Margaret was panicking. "Neal's back at the diner!"
David looked at Robin, asking. "Roland and the baby where are they?"
"They're safe." Robin replied to him. "They're with the fairies. They'll take Neal, as well."
Henry looked very afraid. "So this is really it."
Just then, Hook emerged from behind the dark one's and walked towards the others, carrying Excalibur. "I'm afraid it is, lad. Look. The S.S. Purgatory." He pointed to the lake, where fog was appearing. From behind the fog, Charon appeared on his boat, ready to take everyone who was marked to the Underworld.
Emma runs out from behind the Dark One's and runs to her family, clearly distressed. "Mom, Dad! Henry! Caitlynn!" She group hugged them. Hook looked slightly saddened for a few moments, but quickly recovered. "I'm sorry! I tried!"
Mary Margaret nodded. "We know. It's okay."
Just then, Regina walked up to Hook. "It's time to drop the act. You can't just sit back and watch another family be destroyed to get your revenge."
Hook looked at her. "What makes you think I can't?"
"Because of what we swore to never speak of again." Regina replied to him. "I know the real reason you don't want to talk about what you did to your father."
"I believe we've already had this conversation." Hook sighed.
"But this time you're going to listen because if you don't..." Regina looked at him, she was calm for some reason. "you're gonna regret it for the rest of your life, which, in your case, means forever. So, you have to ask yourself the same question you did that night. What kind of man do you want to be?"
-0-
Hook was still standing with the Dark One's as Regina was back with Robin and Henry. The Charon was ready to take them to the Underworld. Nimue stepped forward. "It's time."
"No, you're not taking the people I love!" Emma shouted as she moved forward, ready to fight, but stopped when she began to choke.
Nimue was magically choking Emma. "I might not be able to kill you, but I can stop you from interfering." She continued to choke Emma, preventing her from fighting. Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Robin and Henry watch on helpless.
As Emma was being choked, she kept looking at Hook. After a few moments, Hook's eyes widen as he saw Emma being hurt, as he finally understands that he can't go through with this. "That's enough!" He turned to face Nimue.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nimue asked to him.
"Being the man I want to be." He replied to her.
Nimue was still choking Emma. "You can't stop us."
"Yes, I can." Hook raised Excalibur, and slowly, all the Dark One's were absorbed into the sword. Emma watched on shocked, as Hook takes on all the darkness. The marks on the sword were now glowing red.
"Killian, you can't do this." Emma told him.
Hook was straining because the darkness is a lot of handle. "We both know there's no other way, love. We have to hurry. The darkness won't stay trapped in Excalibur much longer. Take it." He turned to face her.
Emma was visibly upset. "No!"
"You have to help me, Swan." Hook held the sword up. "Take it."
"I can't. It should be me." Emma looked at him.
"Your family needs you." Hook told her. "If anyone deserves to go to the underworld, it's me. You were right. I was weak. So let me make up for it now by being strong."
Emma had tears falling from her eyes. "I don't want to lose you."
"And I don't want to lose you. But you have to let me go. Let me die a hero! That's the man I want you to remember, please!" Hook was holding the sword out for Emma, she slowly steps forward, trembling herself. She took the sword from him, her hands lingering over his for a few moments. Emma stepped back and was shakily holding the sword as she can feel how powerful the darkness was.
Emma stepped forward. "I love you." She kissed him.
"I love you, too." He saw how distraught Emma was, he nodded at her encouragingly. Emma stepped back, but can't bring herself to kill him. "It's okay." With another small nod of encouragement, Emma finally mustered up the courage to drive the sword through him. He cries out in pain, and Emma began to sob, as she hugged him. Immediately, Hook was tired to comfort, despite having a sword through him.
Everyone else watched on sadly. A bright light surrounded Hook and Emma, and once was disappears, Emma was no longer the Dark One and was back to her normal self. She stepped back and removed the sword from him, which quickly disintegrated. Emma then turned back to Hook and saw that the wound on his neck has re-opened. Emma reached for the wound. "Oh, no." Hook collapsed as he attempt to point at Gold, sensing that something was off. Emma catches him and lowered him to the ground, but Hook passed away before she has the chance to lay him comfortably. As everyone watched on wards with sad looks on their faces, Emma sobbed over his body, not letting go.
-0-
Hook was now on a stretcher and the paramedics were getting ready to take his body away. Emma was still clutching his hand to her chest, not wanting to let go. As the paramedics begin to wheel away Hook's body, she started to sob and doesn't let go of his hand until she has too. Emma turned to Mary Margaret, who says something in an attempt to comfort her, which is inaudible to the audience, before pulling Emma into a hug, David's arm also going around Emma. Regina, Robin, Caitlynn, Amelia, Gold and Henry watched from a distance, all wearing similar glum expressions.
-0-
The next day, Emma was waiting at the counter in Gold's shop, when the door opened and Gold entered and closed the door behind him. "Now, you see. This isn't the library or Granny's or some bus station, Miss Swan. This is my shop. Unless the sign says "open"... you're not invited." He moved to stand behind the counter. Little did Emma know that Caitlynn was curtains, listening in.
"I think I was invited." Emma looked at him. "I hear whispering. It's the dagger. It's calling to me."
"You're upset, imagining things." Gold tried to waved it off, but Emma wouldn't have it.
Emma was bring insistent. "No, I'm not. It's here, isn't it? You have it, don't you?"
Gold sighed. "Yes, I do." Then he took the dagger out of a rag and laid it on the counter top, which once again has "Rumpelstiltskin" written across it.
Emma looked in shock. "You are the Dark One. Again."
"Yes." Gold sighed again. "Had hoped to keep that secret. Wasn't expecting you to hear it. But then, most ex-Dark Ones are dead."
"How is this possible?" Emma asked to him, still in shock.
"When you came to me, asking for the sword, I seen an opportunity." Gold replied to her. "A chance I had never imagined would present itself again. As fate would have it, a small vial of magic was close at hand. One sprinkle... and I knew I could get it all back. I turned the sword into a conduit. So that while Hook thought he was destroying the darkness, he was actually... moving it. Channelling it someplace safe."
"Into you." Emma added.
"He had no idea." Gold told her. "And now... things are as they should be."
"Hook sacrificed himself, and you took that from him!" Emma was angry and went to strike him with her magic, but then Gold used his magic to stop her.
"Do you honestly think that you can hurt me?" He hissed. "I now have the combined power of every Dark One who ever lived... including you."
"You found a loophole, betrayed us all again." Emma looked very angry.
"It's what I do." Gold smirked. "It's the man I am."
Emma straightened up. "Well, then, Dark One... now that you have your power back... you're going to do something for me."
"And why would I do anything for you?" Gold asked to her.
"Because I still have magic." Emma replied to him. "And I'm willing to bet I can get to my sister and tell her everything before you can kill me."
"Don't test me." Gold hissed.
Emma was threatening and there were tears in her eyes. "Don't test me. You really want to take that chance? That she will know the kind of man you really are?"
"What do you want, Miss Swan?" Gold asked to her, sounding defeated.
-0-
After Emma was gone from the shop, Caitlynn revealed herself to Gold. "So, she wants that you to bring her to the underworld?" Then she glanced at the dagger.
"Yes." Gold nodded to her.
"And that she believes that I don't know that you are the Dark One again?" She asked to him.
"Yes, she believes that." Gold replied to her.
"And you know that I will not come this time around, cause I'm pregnant." Caitlynn looked at him.
"I don't want you come." Gold agreed with her.
"Be safe, please. For our daughter and this one." Caitlynn had put her hand on her stomach.
"I will." Gold nodded as he walked over to her and put his hand on hers.
"When you come back, we will go together to the doctor to know what we are having." Caitlynn smiled at him.
Gold smiled at her. "I will be back soon."
Then they kissed as then they hugged.
-0-
Not much later, Emma was at the Blanchard apartment. Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Robin and Henry were there. Mary Margaret looked in shock. "You're going to hell?"
"The underworld." Emma replied, sighing.
"That's quite a distinction." David muttered.
Emma looked at all of them. "I'm getting him back. This isn't fair to Killian. Gold tricked him. Everything he gave up was based on a lie."
"Emma, you know how this works." David looked at her. "It's a one-for-one trade. To get him back, someone else will have to die."
"And you just got back from being the Dark One." Mary Margaret told her daughter. "You can't give in to darkness again."
"I won't." Emma told her softly. "I'm giving in to love. I'm doing this right. I learned my lesson. I'm taking a page out of your book. You two share a heart. So will we."
Regina nodded. "It could work."
Emma was being insistent. :It will work."
Just then, Robin spoke up. "Uh, forgive me if I'm missing the obvious, but, um, how does one get to the underworld?"
-0-
Much later, it's night time and Emma, Gold, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Robin and Henry were by the same lake where Charon appeared. Emma and Gold were by the water's edge. Emma looked at Gold. "Do it."
Gold sighed and cut his hand on the dagger. "Are you sure about this?"
"Do it." Emma ordered as Gold turns his hand so the blood dropped into the water. The fog and Charon appeared. An invisible walk way in the water came as Emma stepped onto it first, holding Hook's ring in her hand, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Robin, Henry and Gold followed. Then the group walked towards the boat. "Hook, I will find you. I will always find you." Emma said as her parents behind her shared a look of understanding and also looked in shock at the familiar worlds.
-0-
Author's note: Much is going and much will happen still!