Darkness is a Funny Thing… It Creeps Up in You
Chapter Nine
Once again inside Regina's office…
Regina, Emma, and Killian returned to the Town Hall so they could discuss how they might be able to destroy this new threat that's arisen and once they walked inside, the Savior grumbled sternly, "Okay… so, until Belle is hopefully able to come back to us with exactly what this thing is, what exactly can we do in the meantime? If our powers combined doesn't work on that monster…"
Killian finished her thoughts for her with frustration, given that they were his own as well, "Then what will? I don't suppose we have anything powerful enough to trap it at least?"
"Exactly what do you suggest we trap this monstrosity in?" Regina crossly retorted when she turned around to face him again once she took a seat in the chair behind her desk. "You heard Belle as well as we did. We can't trap it back in that damned hat again."
"I didn't mean we trap it in the hat," Hook gruffly answered her. "I was talking about maybe… Pandora's Box. Or perhaps something else the Dark One might have hidden within that bloody shop of his."
Emma finally spoke as she replied, "Killian's right. Pandora's Box doesn't sound like a bad idea. Why couldn't we? At least until we can figure out what this monster is and how do destroy it once and for all."
The Mayor took a moment to think the idea through and then in agreement, she finally responded, "I suppose it's the best idea we've got so far. Aside from trying to gather together more of us with power to help you and me fight against that thing, that is. I just don't have much confidence that even more power, no matter who it comes from will do it. However, how would any of us even get close enough to this creature in order to trap it?"
Emma was about to say something more until Regina's cell phone rang, but before the former Evil Queen flipped it open to answer the call, she looked down at the screen to see who it was, then stared down at it suspiciously when she recognized the number, and she immediately felt uneasy. At last, Regina answered the call simply in order to get her phone to stop ringing when whoever was calling her didn't appear to be planning on giving up.
"Regina… who is it?" Emma worryingly asked her friend upon recognizing the uneasy look on Regina's face as her eyes grew cold once she picked up and heard the voice on the other end of the line.
"The Sea Bitch," the dark haired woman darkly answered the Savior, then she concentrated again on the call at hand, while Killian's eyes immediately darkened as well the moment he heard Regina utter Ursula's name.
Through the phone from across the town line, Ursula spoke haughtily saying, "I've missed you too. How are you?"
Regina stood up from her chair and started walking around her desk towards her friends standing by her as she replied snidely, "Mostly wondering how a plate of undercooked calamari ended up with the Dark One's cell phone."
"I stole it from him," the villainess simply responded.
"Regina…" Emma then stated in concern, as she reached out to grab her friend's arm in order to urge Regina to put Ursula on speaker.
The Mayor quickly complied, then leaned back against her desk, as Emma sat down in one of the chairs nearby and Killian remained standing behind her so they could listen in, while Regina asked the Sea Witch, "And where is he now?"
While Cruella stood beside her partner to listen in as well, Ursula answered, "If we're lucky… probably passed out at the dive bar where Cruella and I left him."
"Cruella?" Regina sternly questioned out of surprise upon hearing that the two villains were once again working together.
"Yes, we're back together," the God's daughter deceptively continued as she began to spin the villains' tale that would soon get the heroes to let them inside Storybrooke. "Rumple found us in New York, said he needed some old friends. Told us a tearful tale about how he was living in a quaint town until he ruined everything. But he said it was a special place where villains could find redemption. Regina, Rumplestiltskin told us how you've changed, and we've changed too. We've learned our lessons, and we'd like a chance to prove it to you. Please. Let us in."
The former Evil Queen smiled with contempt, while Emma and Killian immediately felt their concern grow, then Regina smugly replied, "Sorry, dear, but… We have enough problems without inviting two…"
All of a sudden, the winged beast that attacked their town roared from somewhere not far away from the Town Hall, then the Sea Witch asked snootily, "Is one of those problems a hell bat with beady eyes and devil horns?"
"How did you know that?" Regina suspiciously asked the villainess.
"Because that's the exact same sound it made before it tried to kill me," she coolly responded.
With a raise of her brows on account of her surprise, while Emma felt the same, Regina then stated irritably, "Oh… So you've faced this creature before?"
Ursula smiled smugly as she answered, "Yes… and I can tell you exactly what it wants."
"How convenient," Regina grumbled, until Emma suddenly reached out to mute the call so she could talk with Regina and Killian freely without the risk of the Queens of Darkness overhearing them.
"They've been living in a land without magic," she whispered so only Killian and her friend could hear her. "How could they do it?"
It then dawned on the Savior just what these villainesses might believe they need in order to defeat the monster, as she stated, "It's the hat."
Regina scoffed before she brusquely retorted, "I know."
"Fine," she sternly spoke again to the Sea Witch, once she unmuted the phone to continue talking to Ursula and Cruella. "Tell us what it wants."
"And then you'll let us in?" Ursula asked coldly.
The former Evil Queen scoffed once more and then she replied, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."
Unfortunately, the villainess responded cruelly, "Well, then I guess you're on your own."
"Wait," Emma uttered when she immediately reached out again to mute the phone like she had moments ago. "The Snow Queen's scroll let her into Storybrooke once. Maybe it'll work for them."
"Don't…" Killian suddenly called out while he swiftly moved around the chair where Emma was sitting and reached down to stop the Mayor from unmuting the phone, then looked between the women now looking up at him upon his interruption. "Just wait a moment. Trust me… I don't know about Cruella, but the Sea Witch hasn't come here seeking redemption like she claims. I've no doubt there might be other motivations behind them coming here as well, but Ursula and I have a past. A dark one. And I'm willing to wager that she wants only one thing here… Another chance to hurt me for the terrible thing I did to her years ago. And to do that, she will hurt you, Swan. We can't… We can't let her in. Either of them."
Emma looked at him worryingly like she's done a lot in the last few weeks, then she answered gently, "I'm afraid we might not have much of a choice. Not if Ursula really is telling the truth. But we can discuss this more once we're off the phone. For now… I say we just let them know we'll consider it."
Regina finally unmuted the phone, as she then spoke again to the Queens of Darkness saying, "All right, Squid. If your information pans out, we'll consider letting you in. Those are my terms."
"You've got a deal," the Sea Witch haughtily agreed, then hung up just before Regina did as well.
"You know… as much as I hate to agree with the pirate, I do have to agree that it's a bad idea to let the Sea Witch and dog hater in," Regina then spoke to Emma and Killian again once they were able to talk more freely. "But… I'm afraid we'll have to if we will have any hope of defeating that monster out there. These witches faced it before and lived to tell about it. They must know how. Why don't the two of you take a few minutes to talk, then meet me outside so we can move forward."
The Mayor then left the room so her friends could be alone, while Emma turned back to the man she loved again once he turned to face her as well and she finally asked somberly, "Did you break her heart?"
Killian lowered his head and looked away from her out of shame before he whispered guiltily, "Worse."
"Look… Whatever you did, you're not that person anymore," the Savior lovingly assured him. "It's not gonna change anything between us."
"That's quite a lot of faith you're putting on me, Swan," he apprehensively replied to her.
She smiled up at him as she reached out to lay her hand over his cheek, then responded softly, "I know. And there's a reason for it."
Killian looked at her again with confusion as he asked, "What's that?"
"Because I believe in you," Emma whispered as she tenderly caressed his cheek, while they looked one another in the eyes. "I'm going to keep telling you as often as it takes for me to get through to you. You're a good man, Killian. And I… I care about you. I always will. We're both going to be okay."
"You know how I feel about you too," her pirate sadly answered her once more. "I promise, I will tell you what happened between me and Ursula. But first, we need to deal with this creature threatening us all before it can do any real harm. If allowing Ursula and Cruella into Storybrooke is what we must do to do that, then so be it. However, I swear that I will protect you from her, should my fear about the Sea Witch's intentions be correct. I won't let her hurt you so long as I'm alive."
The Savior tenderly lowered his head towards her so she could kiss him, then once she pulled her lips away from his enough so she could look again into his eyes, she replied undoubtedly, "I'm gonna protect you too. Ursula won't hurt you anymore than she already has in spite of what you might have done to her. Nothing you could have done in your past is deserving of whatever she might have planned. Now come on… let's go find out just what these villainesses have to say and stop this hell beast."
Killian nodded and then responded, "Aye, love."