Darkness in the family

A guest asked for a oneshot of the darkness getting put into Snow instead of Killian.

Snow winced in agony behind Emma's back, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to distract Emma. But of course Charming noticed the pain his wife was in.

"Snow, what's wrong?" He asked her. Snow couldn't answer, she was in too much pain. She pulled her hand away from her neck. She looked at it, shocked. It was covered in sticky, red, blood. Snow fell to all fours, struggling to breathe. Emma dropped both parts of Excalibur and moved to Snow's side, alongside everyone else.

"Mom?" She asked, voice fearful. "No!"

"How did that happen?" Regina asked, confused.

"It was Excalibur." Emma explained. "B-but it was just a small cut. I healed her." Emma told them all.

"I'm afraid it only seemed that way." Merlin said, voice filled with sympathy. Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for an explanation. "Excalibur was forged to cut immortal ties. A wound from it cannot be healed."

"What?" Charming asked, devastated. "No, you must be wrong! There has to be something we can do, that Emma can do!" He pleaded.

"Even Emma's power isn't strong enough. Nor is my own." Merlin told them. Emma kept trying in vain to stop the bleeding.

"You have to hold on. I can't lose you." Emma told her.

"It's alright, Emma." Snow hissed through the pain. Emma had to be strong now.

"No." Emma breathed. "Don't leave me. You can't leave me too." One of Emma's tears dropped onto Snow. She reached up and brushed Emma's eyes.

"I'm not leaving you." She promised. "Not really. I'll always be with you, Em. I always have, and I always will. Right in here." Snow moved her hand to rest over Emma's heart. Charming was by her side, shedding his own tears. Snow looked over at him. "I have loved you from the moment I met you, even when I'm gone, I will always love you." She promised him. Charming shook his head. No. She couldn't be dying.

Emma refused to let her mother die. She refused to tear her parents apart, to make her brother an orphan. She got up and grabbed both parts of the sword. Merlin's eyes widened as he realised what Emma was doing.

"No Emma, you're the Saviour, you can't do this!" He pleaded with her. Emma looked back at him, then at her mother, dying on the floor.

"I won't lose her." She said. Then, she froze them all in place. She had to do this. She took the sword part of Excalibur and held it over her mother.

"No." Snow pleaded. "No, Emma. You can let me go. Please, I don't want to become a villain. I don't want you to see me like that…"

"I won't." Emma promised her. "You've helped me be strong enough to fight it. You'll fight it too." Emma promised her mother. With that, she tethered the darkness to her mother. Emma knew she would face backlash for this, but she regretted nothing. She would not lose her.