Swan Song

It was too late to stop Hook from calling the past Dark Ones to Storybrooke, they all knew it as they followed Emma down the main street of Storybrooke. By the time they had gotten Emma her memories back, Hook would already be casting the spell to summon them. But, between Gold and Emma, they knew that those Dark Ones could not remain in the land of the living until they had souls to take their places in the Underworld. If they could stop Hook, get him to banish them back, or find a way to stop the departed souls, they could halt the resurrection. The only problem was...trying to stop a group of Dark Ones that likely split up to find their replacements and knowing they would likely choose any person they could, anywhere in town.

"Emma, slow down," David called as she strode ahead, "We need to talk about this. We need a plan."

"The plan is find Hook before he fully resurrects all of the Dark Ones," Emma shot back, not slowing, "You think dealing with one is bad…"

"There's more than one Dark One?!" a voice called out, and they turned to see it was Leroy who spoke, approaching with his fellow Dwarves, all of them except Dopey.

"It's a long story," David sighed.

"Well, no matter. There's seven of us."

"Six," Happy reminded him, "Dopey's still a tree."

Leroy brushed it off, "We may be down a dwarf, but we're ready to fight."

Emma sighed and waved her hand, "There, he's back," she told them, signaling that she had restored the dwarf, before she shook her head, "But you won't have to fight. I'm going to take care of this."

"You think you can talk him out of this?" David asked, seeming to just barely refrain from scoffing at her words.

"There's no talking," Regina cut in before Emma could answer, "We have to hit him with everything we've got."

"I am of agreement with that," Piper spoke up, having been itching to see Hook cut down a peg or two after all he'd done to Emma.

"Well, it's not his fault," Mary Margaret remarked, "He didn't want to become the Dark One."

Piper turned to her, "And I wanted to be a Siren?" she asked the woman, a bite in her words that had Gold reaching out to touch the small of her back in comfort as Mary Margaret just kept digging herself a deeper hole to crawl out of if she ever wanted to repair the damage done to their familial bond.

The flinch Mary Margaret gave, how she looked away, was not enough. She knew, very well, all the ways her cousin had struggled as a child, as a young woman, to try and be normal, to try and act human. She could remember the handful of times that Rose Red would cry in her arms, when she was very young, about why she was so different and that it wasn't her fault, she didn't ask to be half a Siren, she just was. She could remember herself, reassuring her, that there was nothing wrong with her, that she loved her, no matter what.

And then she'd betrayed that sentiment by trying to rip the darkness out of her unborn child, for the fear of her becoming like Rose Red.

Piper could only glare at Mary Margaret for that very ill thought out remark. To defend Hook, because he didn't choose to be a Dark One, yet condemn her for being a Siren when she didn't choose to be born that way…it angered he greatly. And it served as a reminder. While her heart may have softened against Snow White, it was not healed, it was not restored, forgiveness hadn't been earned. It only meant she might be more receptive if her cousin tried to work it out and make amends.

Her heart had hardened against Regina, then softened when she killed Cora, but that did not mean she and Regina became instant friends and allies. It only meant perhaps she could feel some sympathy or empathy for the woman that wouldn't have been there, that she might, one day, have some sort of understanding with her, not that it fixed everything. When a Siren's heart was hard, nothing could break through. Someone could be down on their knees, prostrating themselves before her, begging for forgiveness, weeping, begging for death even, and she wouldn't bat an eye, she wouldn't shed a tear, she wouldn't CARE.

Mary Margaret still had much to make up for before they could ever even try to be what they once were, and remarks like that weren't helping.

"He might not have," Emma cut in, not wanting an argument to break out when they couldn't risk being distracted, "But he did because of me. None of that matters anymore," she turned to face them, resolved and determined now, "I made a promise that I would stop him if he went too far," she informed the heroes, the way her gaze flickered to Piper told them the Siren had had enough forethought to think it was possible and bring it up to her, "And I will. We need to hit him with everything."

Mary Margaret frowned, "This is a man you loved…"

Emma shot her a look, her anger spiking now, "And she's family you loved," Emma shot back, gesturing at Piper, "Didn't stop you from betraying her. I'M your daughter, you love me, didn't stop you from ripping something out of me," she took a breath, looking from her to David as well, "You can't fault me for taking a leaf out of YOUR book with this, you wanted me to be a hero, isn't that what heroes do? Betray everything they are if it's 'for the greater good?'"

"Emma, that's not fair…" David tried to argue, putting an arm around Mary Margaret as her bottom lip quivered.

"It really is," Emma stated, "Look. Right now we have a rogue Dark One trying to bring back every single former 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."

She didn't doubt Hook would go right for her, the less people around her the better.

"Rummy and I shall go with you," Piper offered, as though already guessing why she wanted to be alone. She was a villain after all, she knew if she had a group of enemies, she would go after the one who wronged her most the second she could.

'Yes," Gold nodded, "If you want to find him, perhaps he's still looking for revenge."

"We're not using you as bait," Emma shook her head.

"No," Gold agreed, "Bait is a trap. This is the three of us, walking around. If he happens to appear…"

"I don't like it,' Emma told them.

"I promised you, Emma," Piper began, "That I would stop you doing anything truly dark. That I would keep you light despite being the Dark One," she pointedly ignored how Regina, David, and Mary Margaret looked at each other, as though only just now believing the 'trick' they had been playing on them all really was a trick. As though Emma trying to STOP Hook didn't already shout that loudly, "'No matter what it takes?' I would not, and was never going to, put that on you."

Emma took a deep breath and let it out, "I wouldn't put it on you either."

Piper merely smirked, "I would have had ample experience handling the hard decisions, had things gone a different way."

Mary Margaret had to look away at that, remembering the promise her cousin had made to her once, that she would handle the hard things, she would take the executions and the broken laws into her hands so that Snow White would never have to make such choices. That, if there was ever something too hard or dark or unkind that had to be done, to send it to her and she would see to it in her place.

Now, her cousin was holding true to that promise...for her daughter.

Her cousin, who had kept her daughter light, who had stood by her light or dark, who had been there for Emma when she couldn't trust anyone else. Who had, even now, done everything she could to keep those she still considered family safe…

She had truly made a mess of everything, hadn't she?

~8~

It wasn't to say that, just because Gold was trekking through town with Emma, Piper, and Henry (who refused to abandon his mother, he had started this plan with her, he would finish it with her), that they didn't have places to actually look for Hook. Emma couldn't sense him with the presence of so many other dark signatures spreading through town, so they had to resort to other means and places. They were stopping by the shop, making sure everything was in place, that nothing had been taken that would help him or hinder them, and see if Hook might be waiting in trap for Gold to return.

Piper stood outside with Henry while Emma entered with Gold, agreeing that one with magic should stay with one without.

"No sign of Hook!" Emma called out to them from within, "Think the next stop's the Jolly Roger."

"Aunt P!" Henry suddenly shouted, and she looked over to see Nimue, someone she recognized from a sketch in the Dark One Chronicles Gold had showed her once, striding towards them.

"Henry, get back," Piper moved him behind her back, her pipe in hand but unsure if it or her music would help given that Nimue had no body, she was a mere apparition so far, according to Gold, the Dark Ones Hook had called were more like ghosts until they could take the place of the living.

"Mom, help!" he yelled out and Emma ran through the doorway in time to see Nimue nearing them.

"Don't move!" Emma shouted, threatening Nimue, raising her hand to stop the woman…but nothing happened.

Nimue smirked and kept on, "Too late for that," she taunted, before moving as though she wanted to walk right through Piper…

Only she couldn't.

The moment she was close enough there was a flare of something that looked like black fire that shot up for a single moment, sending Nimue flying backwards. Piper gasped, her hands falling to her stomach as Gold pushed past Emma to run to her side, Emma moving before them, her hand up to defend them should Nimue try anything again.

"What…" Nimue breathed, her eyes wide, seeming truly startled as she looked at Piper, "That's not possible…"

"Stay down!" Emma nearly snarled at the woman when she tried to stand. Nimue glared at her and waved her hand, disappearing in her own swirl of black smoke, "Damn it!" she huffed, before turning to Piper, the woman shaken, "You ok?"

Piper let out a shuddering breath, reaching out with one hand to grip Gold's arm, "I was…not expecting that," she admitted, feeling a bit unsteady, as though her own energy had been sucked out of her with that rather dramatic defense. She felt lightheaded and dizzy, her voice even sounded weak and she was breathing a bit hard, trying to gain back her bearings. She felt so...tired all of a sudden, which hadn't happened the other times the child had used its magic.

She felt a small laugh bubbling inside her despite the situation, while the child had gotten its protective instincts from her...it appeared it had gotten its sense of theatrics from its father.

"Pip…" Gold murmured and she looked up at him, at the concern in his eyes, at the guilt she could see flickering that he didn't have his magic to help her more.

"I am well," she assured him, moving her other hand to touch his cheek, "When this is done, we ought make you the Dark One once more, with haste. We will need all the magical help we can get with this one."

Gold let out a soft chuckle at that. He had never heard of a child using magic from the womb before, but their child was half Dark One, something unheard of for they had never before thought of the power being passed along in such a way. He could only imagine what their child would grow to be if they were doing magic already.

"That was totally wicked," Henry remarked beside them, trying to lighten the mood.

It did seem to remind Piper of something and she turned to Emma, "Emma, I need your help with something."

"Anything," Emma offered instantly.

"A glamor," she requested, gesturing at her stomach, still reasonably hidden by the draping quality of the black tunic-styled shirt she had taken to wearing, but it wouldn't be long before she was showing too much. As it stood, if the child used magic like that in front of anyone else, they would be looking for who had done it, and if they looked too much at her, they would notice her middle, "Please."

"Of course," Emma nodded, waving her hand slowly over Piper's stomach, giving the appearance that it was flat.

"Many thanks."

Emma didn't get a chance to brush it off for Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Robin Hood, and the Dwarves ran over, Regina pulling the sleeve of her jacket back to show them a mark that appeared branded on her skin, "What just happened to us?!" she demanded, the others revealing similar marks.

"What is that?" Emma frowned at the sight.

"That is the Mark of Charon, is it not?" Piper glanced at Gold, taking a breath and gathering herself, not wanting the others to notice anything amiss with her.

"Charon?" Henry frowned at the name as Gold nodded, "He was the Ferryman in the old myths. He navigated a boat...to the Underworld."

Gold offered him a small smile, "Smart lad."

"Where the Fury originated," Piper added, if to give that small digging reminder to Regina.

"As I warned you, 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."

David stiffened, "Meaning us?"

"Exactly," Gold nodded and pointed up at the moon in the sky, "And when the moon reaches its peak, the ferry from the underworld will arrive...and drag you down there."

Piper glanced at Gold a moment, a thought striking her about his remark. She had known the Underworld had been involved, with the Fury, yes, she had told Regina as much. But Gold had been still slumbering when that occurred, and they had had to go off of the Dark One knowledge in Emma and what she herself had known of it. There was something she would have to speak to him about before this was over.

"That doesn't sound good," David shifted.

"Really?" Piper deadpanned, pulled back to the moment, "I thought it sounded rather pleasant," he shot her a glare for the sarcasm in her tone, but it was somewhat deserved, it was quite obvious that it wasn't a good thing.

"Speaking as one who's died and been there," Gold muttered, "It's not."

"So, how do we stop it?" Regina asked.

"You can't. 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," he looked around at them, "You should all be scared. This is Death itself."

"There must be something we can do!" Mary Margaret insisted, tears in her eyes at the thought of such a fate for the people she cared about.

"Not you," Piper remarked, "You are marked."

Emma blinked, understanding what she meant, that she wasn't saying it was over for them, as David seemed to take it in how he opened his mouth to likely scream at her, but that THEY couldn't do anything because of the mark, "But WE can," she realized, "Because we're not marked."

Gold nodded, "Let's get to work."

~8~

There was a way to rid them of the Dark Ones before the souls were claimed, of course there was, and it was an obvious means. But, as heroes, none of them gave any pause or consideration to it, it was not an option in their minds and so they didn't even contemplate it, likely didn't even notice it was an option.

Piper knew it was, but she also knew that she would not allow it to happen as she did not want the Darkness destroyed the way the heroes seemed to think was needed, nor did Gold.

It would be quite easy to pull the Dark Ones into a vessel and sacrifice the vessel. It wouldn't be a body for the Dark Ones to use, it would have to be someone unmarked, but if they were in a living host and the host died, they would be pulled back to the underworld with it. The heroes would never contemplate it, for it would mean 'murder' and other such nonsense. So much for doing anything they had to do 'for the greater good.' THIS was exactly why she had once told Snow White that SHE would handle the hard decisions and enforce the harder laws and punishments. Snow White did not have the stomach, will, or spine to make the hard calls.

She could just as easily crush someone's heart or stab them in the heart if it meant keeping her family safe.

But, knowing Emma and how guilty she already felt that this was happening because she hadn't been able to stop Hook in time, she would insist on being the one sacrificed if it came to that.

It would not come to that, they did not want the Darkness destroyed but transferred to Gold.

The more she thought about it, and from what she understood of how the transition from Dark One to Dark One worked...she might have an idea, but it would be far more complex and tricky to accomplish, and even if it could be done...Emma might disagree or refuse to allow it. As a last resort, it could be possible to persuade her, but they would need to exhaust their options first for her to consider it, which meant they needed more options, and everything was complicated.

Perhaps one way to do it would be the same principle as the easiest option, to track down each and every Dark One, and have them be absorbed into Gold. But it was one thing for it to be the personal darkness of the Dark One given back to him, such as if it came from Emma, or even from Hook given it had been converted into Darkness by the Dark One and that magic would bear that signature. But to individually absorb all the Dark Ones, it might be too much Darkness, as it would be multiples of it, all empowered in their own right and they would all be separate entities. It would be like having Baelfire in his mind once more only many times over, too many voices and pressures.

No, the Darkness would have to be merged back into just a single entity before it could be returned to Gold, which meant it kept coming back to that same principle. Putting the Darkness in one person first, then pulling it from them would force all the entities to merge together in the transfer. It also meant, putting it in one person, made it easier to destroy it all in one go...but with such little time to prepare, that final transfer could be death for the host, much like the traditional transfer of power between Dark Ones, the Dagger would be the only option. But now that it was in the sword...there was a chance all it could do was destroy the magic and not just transfer it.

Thinking about Hook and Emma...tt was something she also did not fully understand, something she felt the others were missing as well. Merlin was 'light' and Nimue had become dark upon killing someone with the magic, which implied hers was light to begin with. Therefore, wouldn't taking magic from Merlin and putting it in Hook have made him a 'light one' not another Dark One? At least until he killed Merlin. Was it Hook's own darkness that turned that light dark before he'd even gone after Merlin? Or had Hook merely used it as an excuse, the belief that he had to be a second Dark One because the first Dark One made him? Had he just believed it so he could do as he pleased when really it was neither light nor dark at that point?

Whatever it was, whatever it meant, it didn't matter now. He was dark now, and he was a threat to her family and had hurt her niece and for that, if they were destroying the other Dark Ones and only transferring Emma's Darkness into Gold...she would not hesitate to force the other Dark Ones into him and stab him with Excalibur, to save her family and to end the pirate's miserable existence after what he'd done and said to Emma.

Emma though, would not agree to that just as SHE would not agree to killing Emma.

And so they were at an impasse and looking for a different way to stop the Dark Ones. They were gathered in Gold's shop, her, Emma, Gold, and Henry, working on a plan, while the others went to Granny's for one last family meal together, in case a way couldn't be found. IF this was their last few hours on Earth, they wanted to spend it together, though Emma was determined it would not be.

As a precaution though, August would be meeting the group at the Diner, where they would bring Henry, before Emma would take him, Henry, Roland, Neal, and Zelena's baby to the townline for them to cross, with some help from a few of Gold's potions. August would take them to the nearest town and wait for a call from them to return when the dust settled.

"Damn it!" Emma huffed, having gone through Merlin's books that she'd conjured to her, searching for all his information of the Dagger and Excalibur for any clue of what they could do. She rubbed her head, "If we can't figure out a way to merge the Dark Ones and transfer it to Gold, we'll have no choice but to destroy it," she looked at her aunt, regret in her expression because she knew how much it meant to her and Gold for him to be the Dark One again, "And that means I die."

"Or Hook," Piper reminded.

"No," Emma shook her head, "Me. This was my plan, it's my responsibility."

"It could be someone else," Gold offered, "Zelena, perhaps? If we place the pirate's Darkness in her along with the others, we could destroy them and keep yours."

"Should we really risk putting that much power in Zelena?" Emma cut through that plan, that wasn't something they could take a chance on, "Regina would also fight us if we try to attack her."

"And even if we could put it in her, how would we get mom's Darkness into you, grandpa?" Henry frowned, not that he thought they'd kill Zelena or use that plan, but wanting to also look at it logically, "If Zelena is gone, no one else would be able to use the wand and transfer it from Mom to you."

"You'd have to kill me," Emma said bluntly, "We rebreak the sword and use the Dagger, so you could become the Dark One again, as promised."

Gold sighed and rubbed his head, they truly were stuck, because he could no more kill Emma than Henry or Piper.

Piper eyed Emma a long moment, before glancing at Gold and down to a drawing of the Dagger as it rested on the table, "The Darkness must go to a host..." she murmured.

"Pip?" Gold turned to her.

She looked back at them, turning more to Emma as, if she was right, this plan would weigh heaviest on her, "Emma, I told you once, that I knew of the Dark Curse, yes?" she asked, and Emma nodded, frowning as she didn't know what this had to do with anything, "I knew what it would do, I knew that Rummy would have it cast, I knew what it meant for my family…and I allowed it."

"Yeah," she nodded, "I know."

"Because it was a long game," Piper remarked, "But, in the end, my family would be safe and come out stronger. How long a game would you be willing to play?"

Emma frowned, "What do you mean?"

Piper sighed, "I think I may have a way to solve all this, but you will need patience and courage to see it through. And, I should like to state now, that I am very much prefer to leave off with just the first half of the idea."

Emma straightened, lifting her chin with determination, "What is it?"

~8~

Emma stood outside Granny's Diner, across the street and watching as Piper spoke quietly with Henry and August outside the doors with Gold. She was tasking them with distracting the heroes, with keeping them away from the lake because, with those marks on, the LAST thing they needed was the heroes to come 'charging in' to 'help' and get sucked into a portal to hell. No, they had a plan, they had a team ready to go there, they just had to make sure no one else interfered. Gold was giving August the potions that would allow them all to cross the townline without fear of turning into a tree, five vials just in case.

Henry would go in and say that the others were still researching and would be there soon, and he and August would work to keep them from leaving, to just keep them waiting till the last moment.

"Sorry, love," a voice spoke beside her, causing her to jump and turn to see Hook standing there, "But I can't let you use that sword."

Emma stepped back, clutching Excalibur tightly in her hands, "Why? So you can get your precious revenge? If I do not do this, everyone I love will die."

"And if you do, you'll die," Hook spoke, and at least Emma could breathe easier knowing he had assumed the plan they had come up with, her own last resort, but NOT the plan they were actually going with, now she just had to let him think it a little longer. It wasn't a surprise to her he'd come to this conclusion, it had been one of the first ones Gold had laid out, the simplest way to stop the other Dark Ones, of course Hook, with the knowledge of the others in his head, would realize it too, "Come now, hand it over. I don't want to hurt you."

She scoffed, backing up, "NOW you care what happens to me?"

"Like it or not," he huffed, not sounding as though he liked it at all, "I owe you."

"For what?" she asked, doing her best to keep from looking over at the diner. Right now SHE was his main focus, the sword, if she could just keep him from noticing the others she could keep them safe.

"Well, if it weren't for what you made me, I would never have become the man I always wanted to be."

Emma's jaw clenched as she shook her head, "This is not who Killian wanted to be. Revenge did not matter to him."

"Oh, it did," he told her, sure and not mocking, as though he were letting her in on a secret he'd kept locked away from her, the fact that he had always and would always want this revenge, he'd just put it on a shelf because she wouldn't approve, but it was always there, "You just briefly distracted me. Well, now I can finally make the Crocodile pay."

They had guessed that part of his involvement. Just as he had guessed a plan, it wasn't hard to on the other side. With the heroes gone and taken to the Underworld, with all the Dark Ones returned, they would be able to hunt Gold down, to make him truly suffer before Hook could cut the man down. He wanted the heroes dealt with, the town in chaos, so he could get a clear path to Gold with no one to stop him or challenge him or stand in his way.

"Even if it means becoming the thing you hate?" she challenged, "The thing you spent centuries trying to destroy?"

"If you didn't want me to change, you should have let me die," he sneered at her.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't watch one more person I love die," she deadpanned.

"And now," he smirked, "Because of that, you get to watch everyone you love die."

"No!" she lunged forward and nearly ran him through with the sword, not that she intended to lay a hit on him, she knew full well he would vanish in time. She had to make him think he was winning, that he was getting to her. She spun around, hearing the whoosh of magic when he appeared behind her, and moved to stab him again, she needed him to think she was willing to sacrifice everything to save everyone, even herself. Because if she got him, she'd absorb his Darkness, and then the plan he thought she was part of would go on, he wouldn't question these actions, "I will protect my family, even if I have to kill you to do it!"

When she turned around a third time, it wasn't Hook behind her, but Henry.

"Mom, wait!" he held up his hands, fearful she'd try to hurt him.

"What…" Emma began, looking back to the diner to make sure it wasn't really him, but Hook used her distraction to reach out and grab the sword from her hands, turning back into Hook before her eyes, "Killian," she warned, "Do not do this."

"It's too late for that, Swan," he chuckled, examining the sword, "Enjoy the time you have left with your family," before he disappeared in a swirl of black.

"Emma?" Piper's voice called, her and Gold approaching only after he had vanished, because that was the plan. As much as she had wanted to turn her magic on Hook the moment she heard his song appear next to Emma's, Emma needed Hook to think their plan involved her absorbing all the Dark Ones. If she got involved, he would know something was suspicious, that she'd never allow Emma to come to harm in such a way, so she had to stay away, make him think Emma was going to sneak off on her own.

Emma gave them a grim, almost betrayed, look, "He took the bait."

If Hook took the sword, it would 'force' Emma to tell them the plan, so he would expect the three of them to confront him and not think anything of it.

~8~

Now that Hook had Excalibur, time was of the essence to get to the lake and stop him. But even as Emma magically transported them to the lake, they were already too late. Hook and Nimue had summoned all those who bore the Mark of Charon there, Mary Margaret, David, Regina and Robin, all the Dwarves…and Zelena's baby. Emma nearly faltered at the sight of the infant, wrapped in her blanket, on the ground, screaming and crying in the chilly night until Hook grew annoyed and waved his hand to cast a silencing spell. It was just as sick and twisted as Emma knew Nimue to be, that she would specifically target the baby. Being so near the other Dark Ones that had surrounded the group, she could almost feel which Dark One had marked which person.

Regina and Robin, even though he was not the father, as the paternity tests Regina set up proved, still ran for the child to try and protect it, for it was still Regina's family, her niece, while Mary Margaret and David clutched each other.

"…afraid it is," Hook was saying to them, gesturing to the lake, "Look, the S.S. Purgatory," and there, appearing through the fog was Charon, on an old boat, cloaked in shadows, drifting ever closer for his bounty.

"It's time," Nimue declared.

Emma glared and stepped forward, "No!" she snapped, drawing the attention of all to her, "You're not taking the people I love!" she lifted her hand, about to fire a magical blast, when she began gasping, choking as Nimue magically squeezed at her neck.

...not just Nimue, but Hook as well though the man looked startled, as though he hadn't meant to do such a thing.

Emma had experienced just that, when she faced Nimue the first time, the apparition had used her to attack Merlin. She hadn't wanted to, but Nimue forced her, forced her to fight against the Darkness to save Merlin. For her, it had been about being a hero, being a good person, doing the right thing, Merlin hadn't done anything that deserved death.

Hook...she saw it now, it would be the same, Hook would have to face the same thing, fight Nimue, fight the Darkness, or risk her using him to kill the woman he had once loved. And if his claims that she was his happy ending, that he changed for HER, were true...while he might have allowed this with anyone else, done it of his own accord...he might just fight because it was HER.

"I might not be able to kill you," Nimue remarked, "But I can stop you from interfering," and curled her hand into a fist more, driving Emma to her knees.

Hook was shaking, his arm extended, his hand in a fist, his face scrunched as he saw her let out a fry of anguish.

"Emma!" Piper tried to rush to her, but Gold grabbed her to hold her back as Emma held out a hand signaling her not to.

If Piper attacked now, it would just draw Hook's attention and focus to her, and he hated Piper. Right now he was looing on with an expression of mounting confliction and horror…

Emma let out a small scream, trying to sound more pained than she was, trying to make it seem like she was struggling more, like she was truly being tortured by Nimue's, by HOOK'S magic. If she could just reach that small part that had to still care for her...

When the tears fell from her eyes as she looked to Hook, begging him for help, begging him to 'save' her, that was when he finally snapped, "That's enough!" he pulled his arm away, turning to thrust it out at Nimue, sending her flying to the side.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Nimue snapped at him, moving to her feet once more.

"Being the man I want to be," he declared, moving in between her and Emma, determined to protect the woman he loved as she gasped for air.

Nimue glared, "You can't stop us."

Hook held up Excalibur, his mind flashing to the plan he knew Emma had intended to use, a plan that would have killed her, that he could no longer allow, "Yes, I can," and lifted it more, into the air, calling on all the Dark Ones around him, pulling their Darkness into the sword, including Emma's, restoring her to normal while the sword glowed red in his hand, funneling the Darkness into him.

"Killian…" Emma hurried over to him.

"We both know there's no other way, love," Hook strained to speak, nearly on his knees from the power of all the Darkness bearing down on him, "We have to hurry. The Darkness won't stay trapped in me much longer. Take it," he turned and held the sword out to her, "You have to help me, Swan. Take it. I was weak. So let me make up for it now by being strong. Let me die a hero! That's the man I want you to remember, please!"

Emma swallowed hard, "I can't…"

Hook nodded, seeming to understand how cruel that was and turned to the person who walked over to her side, "Then you," he held the sword to Piper, "You're the only one who…" he groaned as the Darkness surged.

Piper gave him a smirk, "With pleasure," she took it from him and, without a moment's hesitation, stabbed him through the middle with it, Emma turning away a second before, into her parents' arms as they were freed of the dark magic holding them captive, to gather her to them as Hook cried out in pain.

Piper pulled the sword out, the entire thing disintegrating in her hand, though she glimpsed Gold in the corner of her eye waving his hand to create that glamor, the others not about to notice with Emma's grief, the girl moving to pull Hook into her arms to comfort him as he breathed his last breathes.

It was only due to the grief before her that Piper bit back the smile threatening to break out across her face at the feel of something familiar and metal pressed between her leg and her boot once more.

Their plan had worked.

~8~

If Piper was being quite honest, she was rather surprised the heroes lasted until paramedics arrived to take Hook away on a stretcher before they confronted her. Perhaps it was that Emma's grief was so fresh they had wanted to respect Hook's fallen body to not incite a shouting match before her. But she knew they wouldn't wait long to play righteousness with her.

"How could you?" Mary Margaret looked at Piper, growing more infuriated with the blank look on Piper's face as she turned to them, "You just…you…you killed him. Emma's love, and you killed him!"

"We should have known," David glared at her, "We should have guessed you would…" he looked at her, disgusted, "Only someone with no soul would do that."

"I have to say it," Regina added, "But they're right. What you did was cruel beyond measure and…"

"And our plan," Piper spoke, "All along."

"Figures," David scoffed, looking between her and Gold, "So what happens when a Siren betrays her family first?"

"Is it betrayal?" Piper mused, lightly pressing a finger to her chin, "I see no betrayal."

"YOU murdered her love, Rose!" Mary Margaret snapped, "You killed him in front of her like…"

"Like my mother did," Regina finished when Mary Margaret cut herself off.

Gold actually laughed, "If you think that was Piper killing the pirate…you haven't been paying attention to the true torment a Siren can create. She would have dragged that out far longer."

"We'll it's not like she had time to!" David glared at him.

Piper rolled her eyes, done with this and the accusations, "At what point did I say it was ONLY Rummy and my plan?"

That shut them up.

"What?" Robin Hood shook his head, confused. He had kept out of it for it was not his family though he was very much in agreement with their horror and disgust, but that almost sounded like she was saying…

"I knew about it," Emma spoke, her voice shaking and hoarse as she moved over to their side, "I agreed with the plan."

"Emma?" Mary Margaret looked at her, confused and horrified.

"You…agreed to let her kill Hook?" David shook his head, not following.

"Mom!" Henry's voice called out, cutting off any answer as he hurried over, the Dwarves had returned to town with Zelena's baby to let everyone know things were safe once more, Leroy had pulled him aside to tell him what happened to Hook and he'd taken off for the lake, "Mom!" he hurried to Emma, crashing into her and hugging her tightly, "Did it work?"

"Yeah, kid," Emma sniffed, "The plan worked."

Henry turned to Gold, "You're the Dark One again?"

The heroes, and Regina, stiffened, their eyes wide as they looked at Gold, who smirked, holding up a hand to conjure a red rose into his hands in a poof of his signature smoke, before handing it to Piper, "I am," he confirmed, "I now have the combined power of every Dark One who ever lived...including Emma."

Mary Margaret let out a breath at that, clutching for David at the terrifying news that not only was the man the Dark One again, that the Darkness hadn't been destroyed like they hoped, but that he was even more powerful than before.

Piper looked over at them, "We enchanted the sword to turn it into a conduit."

Truly, they should have guessed not all was as it appeared. Killing Hook would mean destroying the Darkness, which she had been railing against from the beginning, it would mean, because she had used the sword, HER becoming the Dark One which she had not, as she, again, had from the start been lobbying for it to be returned to Gold. Perhaps it was just the chaos and terror of the moment that kept them from noticing how she had 'dealt the final blow to the Darkness' when she refused to so often before. It should have been a clue that the Darkness hadn't been destroyed.

"Instead of destroying the Darkness, we merely moved it, channeled it to some place safe," Gold put a hand to his chest, "To me."

"And you agreed to this, Emma?" Mary Margaret turned to her, looking at Emma as though she didn't recognize her.

"We promised we'd restore his Darkness," Emma stated, moving her arm around Henry, needing his comfort.

"You let Hook die so he could get his power back?" Davis hook his head, on the edge of disgusted at what his daughter had done.

"He's not dead," Emma stated.

"He sure looked dead to me," Regina crossed her arms.

"Because we're going to bring him back," Emma finished.

"How?" David frowned, seeing Regina shifting, all of them all too aware of how this began with her quest to restore her own fallen love.

"Go to hell, Charming," Piper spoke.

"Excuse me?" he glared at her.

"It's the answer, dearie," Gold smirked, "We're going to hell."

"To the underworld," Emma elaborated, "And we're getting him back."

She could admit she hadn't been happy with how Piper had initially proposed the plan they settled on. The woman had merely said 'kill him' which had led to her saying she wasn't going to kill the man she loved if they could save him.

Between Gold's knowledge of how the Dark One and the Dagger worked, and Piper's initial thoughts, a way to merge the two plans they had in mind, they were able to piece together a way to return the Darkness to him without needing to harm Emma...for long.

They had been looking at it in terms of getting the Dark Ones into a single person, and that would leave the option of destroying it or transferring it to another person, but to transfer it with the sword would mean killing the person all the Dark Ones resided in. There was another way, something Piper had thought possible, but that Gold had confirmed doable. And it was so simple.

The Dagger, and assuming the sword, worked in terms of pulling the Darkness out of the Dark One upon being killed, and pushing that power into the person holding the Dagger. If they could trick the Dagger/Sword into thinking someone else held it, it would transfer the power to that person. It would turn the sword into a conduit. If they could get the other Dark Ones into one host, then the only remaining Darkness to be removed would be the host's too, and they could not remove their own Darkness, someone else would have to hold the sword to do it.

Piper stabbing Hook after he'd absorbed the Dark Ones, meant she could pull HIS Darkness out too and the sword would transfer it to Gold.

Emma had been ready to offer herself, to have them let her pull the Darknesses out and offer her life to end this, to prove to the heroes that it had all been a giant lesson to them, that she had still been 'good' despite the Darkness.

Piper refused.

Because there was another potential host. Hook. If they could trick him into absorbing the Dark Ones, then he would be the one, not Emma.

Which had led to the second part of the plan, the part they were on now. Neither Piper nor Emma had known there was a path to the Underworld besides dying, not till they discovered Charon would be coming to ferry the souls out. If they had known...they would have gone to the Underworld to save a number of souls already, like Baelfire, and Piper's parents, other fallen heroes like Graham. But now they knew there was a way in, a way for the LIVING to enter the Underworld on the Ferry. They now knew they could go to the Underworld and bring Hook back, it had been done before in other stories.

Emma had been, understandably, shocked that PIPER had suggested a plan that would save HOOK of all people. Piper had only said she was content to just let him die, the trip to the Underworld would be Emma's decision and if she chose to utilize it, then she would go with her down below. Which meant Gold had said he would as well, for he would not let his pregnant mate venture there without him and his soon-to-be-increased power to protect her.

It was, perhaps, the first time Piper had ever given Emma only a half-truth instead of the full one. Yes, of course she would go with Emma, to protect her niece, and yes she knew Gold would go with them, to keep both of them safe, both her and Emma, and her and her child. But...it wasn't the only reason she suggested this plan.

It was the Underworld, and she may have had her own reasons for wanting to journey there that had nothing to do with Hook or Emma.

Emma had tried to argue that it would be easier to let her absorb the Dark Ones, that she would be ok being sent to the Underworld and, in a similar long game, Piper would just have to come rescue her, or Hook would insist. And that had been why Piper had remarked it would be best if it was Hook used as the host. The pirate had not handled Camelot well, she reminded Emma, imagining him storming into the Underworld to find her? He would not trust Piper or Gold, he wouldn't accept their help after this, he'd fight everyone at every turn. And, they couldn't be sure Hook would give up the power of the Dark One if Emma tried to pull it out of him. The apparitions would have no choice if they were pulled by a Dark One's magic, Hook could fight her.

They had to find some way for him to absorb the power, take it from Emma, and they wouldn't have to worry about him attacking after, because it was as Piper had thought, Gold confirmed, it would be like having scores of people in his mind, overwhelming him. He'd likely barely be able to function for those first few moments, giving them enough time to utilize the plan.

It just so happened that Hook had changed his mind at the last moment, done it all without prodding or trickery, and fought for control long enough to ask them to end him.

"It won't be that easy," Mary Margaret shook her head, pulling them back to the moment.

"You know how this works, Miss Swan," Regina frowned, "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 Margert added, "You can't give in to darkness again."

"She never gave in to begin with," Henry reminded them.

"I'm giving in to love," Emma told them, "I'm doing this right."

Love, yes, but also guilt, so much guilt, over what she'd done, how she'd tested Hook, how she'd let it get so bad with him that he'd nearly destroyed her family to get what he wanted. She had to make it right, make it up to Hook for putting him in that position. He'd proven himself, in the end, when it mattered most, he'd proven that he could change and wanted to change and that he loved her. She had to show him she loved him too.

And she'd gone farther turning him into the Dark One, to keep him alive, to keep the possibility of their future together alive, a trip to hell was a cakewalk.

"And I am doing this because Emma is," Piper remarked.

"And I for Pip," Gold added.

Emma shot them both a smile, knowing it was too much to ask that they were doing it for Hook, but they were at least helping and willing to help. She turned to her parents, "I'm taking a page out of your book. You two share a heart. So will we."

"It could work…" Regina had to admit, though she couldn't help but frown at the look Piper had on her face at those words, like she didn't believe them at all but was humoring Emma.

Truly, Piper thought, it wouldn't come to that. There were stories of others escaping the Underworld and none of them involved tearing hearts in half, they could follow those as a guide. Snow White and Prince Charming's love was legendary throughout the Forest, it made sense they could share a heart. She did not get the same sense from Emma and Hook, she doubted it would work. But as she had learned from raising August, sometimes one had to let a child make their mistakes for themselves. Telling Emma not to would only make her more keen to do it and prove others wrong.

"It WILL work," Emma insisted.

"We should hurry, dearie," Gold turned to Emma, glancing at the lake where Charon was still waiting, "Our ride will be leaving soon."

"We're going with you," Mary Margaret stepped up.

"All of us," David agreed and while he knew Mary Margaret was going for their daughter, as was he, part of him knew she was also unwilling to let Piper and Gold be Emma's only guiding lights in the darkness of Hell. They were not about to let the villains have any more secret plans with their daughter.

The others nodded and Emma gave them a small smile, before she headed for the water, looking down when an invisible walkway shimmered to life over the water, allowing them to walk across to the boat.

"Hook," she murmured to herself as she went, "I will find you. I will always find you."

Gold smirked when Piper rolled her eyes at the words, taking her hand, curious what they'd see and who they'd encounter in the Underworld. There were quite a few fallen victims of his he'd have loved for Piper to have met before he ended them.

A/N: Just starting by saying the next chapter won't be a Flashback chapter, it's going to be the next 'episode' chapter, since this was the mid-season finale episode, I've been sort of skipping the flashback when it goes from the mid-season finale to resumption of the show ;) Now, onto the chapter notes!

I feel like part of Piper was almost hoping the Underworld part wouldn't work, like Charon would just float away after the Dark Ones disappeared or that he couldn't actually be used, just to be able to actually kill Hook like she's been threatening to all this time lol.

So, a lot happening here! :) Little Dark Rosebud definitely seems to like theatrics like its daddy lol :) A wall of fire to throw a Dark One back, on his child :) But it had the negative effect of draining some of Piper's energy :( And, I think, a bit of its own, so it may lay off the big displays of magic for now ;)

Then the plan for stopping the Dark Ones and for Hook. I was tempted to have Gold be the one to think of it, like he did in the show, and he DOES in a way, with turning the sword into a conduit. He knows more than Piper in that area, but her idea is sort of what sparks him to think to use that potion and go that option ;) I feel like Emma, Henry, and Gold would be looking at it in terms of 'the sword destroys' so if we stab someone it destroys the magic, but if they keep Emma's darkness separate then they have no way to transfer it if their intended host 'Zelena' is dead, and they'd have to use the Dagger which would mean killing Emma. They also can't risk giving Zelena more power or trusting that Hook would give it up, after all his antics. Piper is sort of like 'I really want to just stab the jerk' and it sort of ends up connecting to 'But if I stab him, I become the Dark One' and leading to 'what if I can make it think someone else stabbed him?' which leads to her initial plan.

The Underworld, I wasn't a big fan of it in the show, because if it's that easy to go down there to save Hook, why didn't the heroes do more for other departed souls? :/ So I tried to spin it like they legitimately didn't know that you could do it while you're still alive. Some stories are more myths to them than actual 'real' stories, so I sort of see the 'myths' being like the fairytales for fairytale characters lol :) They didn't know it was possible, and so they haven't tried this before. But now that they know there IS a path to the Underworld, with Charon, Emma thinks she can give it a try to save Hook :)

Hook and Emma will be complicated. Emma might have been able to move on and let Hook rest after this if he'd stayed truly dark and hadn't experienced what she had when Nimue tried to make her kill Merlin. But, in her eyes, he somewhat redeemed himself and proved he did want to change and be a good man, right at the end. Talk about the 11th hour :/ Emma is going to latch onto that as a sort of 'proof' that her test worked out and that he is a good man and has changed. She's a mix of emotions right now and maybe not looking at it completely clearly, though :/

Piper would have been perfectly content if they couldn't save Hook, but she knows Emma cares about him, she knows Emma doesn't want to lose that future possibility, and she also knows Emma is feeling guilty because their plans got way too far away from them and fell apart right at the end and people she cared about were in real danger due to Hook...but Hook also ended up making a sacrifice because Emma played up how much it was hurting her. Emma tricked him into making that sacrifice and her way to make up for it is to get him back and give him another chance at life. So a mixture of Emma loving him and clinging to happiness and guilt is driving her there, and no way would Piper just let her skip down to the Underworld without someone watching out for her. So Piper goes for Emma, and Gold goes for Piper ;) Adding on that Henry is also going, and Piper sort of has no chance refusing lol.

Though, keep in mind, it's not JUST for Emma that Piper is going, there IS another reason she wants to make this trip despite the danger it presents to her and her child. Let's just say there's something that's been festering under the surface for years, decades really, and this is an opportunity she really cannot bring herself to give up. The fact that Gold is going too, with magnified magic, is another reason she feels like she can make this trip, because he's not likely to leave her side, he knows the Underworld, and he's very protective, so she might feel a bit safe about it all ;)

I hope you liked the twist that Emma was in on the 'plan' that the heroes witnessed at the end. I couldn't see Piper just tricking Hook into absorbing all the Dark Ones to 'magnify his power' or something and then stabbing him without Emma knowing. She and Emma made sure Henry was ok with a plan that was likely to hurt him and break his heart first. Here Piper was making sure Emma was ok with a plan that would likely hurt her and break her heart, the loss of Hook. I thought it was also a subtle little parallel to Piper's involvement with the first Dark Curse, how she knew it was going to hurt her family but be ok in the end, make them happier and stronger, so she allowed it. Emma knows the plan will hurt Hook and herself, but she knows/is sure/is determined that he'll be ok in the end, he'll be free and back to himself and alive again and so she allows it, because she has no doubts she'll succeed in getting him back.

Heroes, always jumping to accusations -shakes head- :/

I know Zelena's baby was not one of the marked in the show, but in the story, as Nimue couldn't get Henry or Piper, she still needed a soul so I thought she'd just go for the most vulnerable and easiest one...Zelena's Baby, and marked her. It's sort of poetic in a dark way, and a sort of you reap what you sow for Zelena, that she had a hand in causing this and now HER child is in danger because of her own actions and, maybe, when/if she one day learns about what she did and how it affected her child it might give her the push, the consequence, to rethink her life and eventually make other choices. It wasn't till Henry nearly died because of what Regina did with the apple that she finally saw what she was doing and eventually began to change. I think Zelena learning that her actions nearly killed/condemned her baby might have a chance to do the same.

Some notes on reviews...

There's a sort of minor twist with Piper going to the Underworld, they aren't really doing it for Hook. Piper is doing it because she doesn't want Emma to be harmed, or Henry, but also there's something she feels she has to go to the Underworld for that we'll find out in later chapters. And it was sort of a preplanned move on their parts, the only way Emma would agree to the plan was if there was a way to save Hook, which ended up involving a trip to the Underworld to get him back. Who could say if it was something Piper suggested as a way to assure Emma or partly to get her own desires of a reason to go to the Underworld }:)

Yeah, poor Neal :( Like I remember a part in the second half of the season where Snow and Charming are freaking out about how Neal must miss them and all and I'm like 'Dude, you CHOSE to abandon him for this quest' :/ It's going to be even more pointed in this story because Piper and Gold had already preplanned to go with Emma, so Snow and Charming weren't actually needed, but they still left their second born when they didn't need to :/ Nope, no lies from Piper about baby green bean :) I feel like she could lie, if it would have been a distraction to them, or if she was very, very angry with Regina or Robin, if they were legitimate enemies to her, but in that moment she was genuinely surprised because even SHE believed Zelena that it was Robin's and was sort of laughing at herself for it, even though she sort of just didn't care enough to care who the father was or if the 'father' was the father :) Oh David will be getting a very major kick in the pants before this series is done }:) That kick will sort of be one very big event, and different people having different reactions to it and confronting him over it, Henry and August might be among them ;) As for Snow...August's reaction may actually be borderline cruel when she gets the kick };) We'll definitely see someone learn about Piper's past with Blue, yup ;) In this story it'll be one person, and in the next story more of what Blue did to Piper will come to light for other characters too ;) I'm glad you're excited for the Underworld, I hope you'll like where it goes :)

Oh Blue will get a hell of a slap at some point ;) I won't say who does it though ;)