Darkness is a Funny Thing… It Creeps Up in You

Chapter Twelve

Remaining completely unaware of what just happened within the strange and magical town they would soon find themselves in, Ursula and Cruella continued to wait in the middle of the road, that as far as they knew led to just more of nowhere despite Gold's assurances that Storybrooke truly existed just a few feet away from where they stood outside of a magical barrier keeping them and everyone else from the magicless world out. At least… until the moment when a mysterious scroll suddenly appeared from out of nowhere after it was tossed onto the road from the other side.

Once it did, Cruella walked over and bent down to pick it up, then cautiously unrolled the parchment in order to read what was written on it. However, as soon as she did so, it wasn't the words on the scroll that mattered to her or to Ursula any longer, but the sudden appearance of those standing inside Storybrooke once it remarkably became open to them. Both villainesses smiled upon seeing their old enemies again, as well as a man who appeared to be an archer from the weapons he wore on his back, and the woman they could only assume was this Savior whom Gold had warned them of upon seeing her holding the hand of Ursula's oldest enemy… Captain Hook.

"Well… well… Hello, Darlings," Cruella De Vil spoke haughtily upon seeing the heroes now standing before them, then she looked over at the Sea Witch who stood beside her and nodded, before the two villainess finally stepped forward to enter Storybrooke at last.

"It is good to see that you have found some sense of honor, or at the very least… fair play, Regina," she continued, speaking to the former Evil Queen once she and Ursula crossed over the line into the town now before them. "I was beginning to wonder if you all decided to leave us out there in the cold."

Regina smiled coldly at her as she answered snidely, "At least you would have had your fur coat to help keep you warm. And Ursula her ability to adapt to the cold so easily, given that she's from a cold world somewhere under the sea."

The Sea Witch smiled darkly as well, then she responded, "Not anymore, I'm not. I haven't lived in the ocean for a very long time now. But let's not talk about my past. Thank you for letting us in. Whichever one of you made the final decision to do so. I can imagine that not all of you are too happy about us coming here."

"That's an understatement," David curtly replied, in spite of feeling more nervous than he already had been before these villainesses stepped foot into Storybrooke. "However, we're willing to give you both a second chance. If you're being truthful about seeking redemption here with us, and you don't try to hurt anyone, especially those of us you might still be holding a grudge against, then you can stay. But if you step out of line even once…"

"We understand your meaning, handsome," Cruella interrupted him before he could continue with his threat. "We promise to be good. And we appreciate you allowing us entrance into your town that Gold spoke so highly of. I promise… you won't regret it."

Regina let out a soft sigh in frustration, before she answered, "We better not. Welcome to Storybrooke."

Cruella turned around and started walking back towards her car so that she could drive it beyond the border and into town as well, while the Sea Witch paused a moment before following after her, as she looked darkly at Hook, who only gripped Emma's hand tighter upon sensing Ursula's hatred for him dig into him as if she were stabbing him with a knife, then she finally spoke to him bitterly saying, "Hello again, Hook. It's been a long time. I look forward to seeing just how it is a selfish pirate like you came to find yourself redemption. And from the look of things… love too."

"Hey… let's get away from here," Emma softly whispered to Killian so that only he could hear her, sensing his distress and worry over their decision to let Ursula and Cruella in from the moment that the Sea Witch spoke to him, then finally turned around to follow after the other villainess and got into the passenger's seat before they drove off towards the center of town. "The others can make their way back to town. Why don't you and I drive down to the harbor, then take a walk along the docks while we talk?"

"Sounds good, love," Killian appreciatively responded, then together they made their way back to Emma's yellow bug, got in and drove away before everyone else who remained at the town line, until they too followed suit to make their way back to town as well.

Sometime later, once they walked into the harbor just after night had fallen…

After they simply walked arm in arm along the docks for a short while in silence, as Emma continued to give the man she loved the time he needed to build up his courage to open up to her about what happened years ago between him and Ursula, Hook apprehensively began to talk at last when he said softly, "Back when I first met Ursula… she wasn't a villain. She was a young, innocent girl, who wanted to believe the best in people, including me. Even though I was a pirate. And I betrayed that trust in the worst way possible. It wasn't until I stole her happy ending away from her that she became one. Everything she's ever done, everyone she's ever hurt… it's all because of me. Because of what I did to her."

The Savior listened to him while she continued to hold his hand in her own and caressed the back of his hand with her thumb, then when he paused to collect his thoughts on how to go on, she gently interrupted, "Whatever you did, you made a mistake. A terrible mistake, but her actions after whatever happened aren't on you, Killian. You didn't force her to become the villain she is today. She chose to become a Sea Witch."

"You don't understand," he retorted more brusquely than he intended to be with her. "I'm sorry… But I've barely begun my tale. You may not be so forgiving once I'm finished. Nor should you be. I didn't break her heart, Emma. At least not because I had any kind of romance with her. I promise you, I didn't. However, I did break her heart when I took away the one thing that mattered most to her. Her voice… her singing voice, which was all that she had left of her mother. Ursula was once a mermaid, and as you know… they have the power to lure sailors to their deaths simply by singing out to them with the power of their voices. However, they also have the power to soothe a troubled soul for a short time, even one as troubled as mine. And that's what Ursula did for me back when we first met. At least face to face. The first time I heard her voice was when she nearly forced me to sail directly into some jagged rocks, until she suddenly stopped and her power over me and my crew faded away, allowing me to steer clear just in time to keep from crashing into them. I later learned that she never meant to nearly wreck my ship, but that it was her father's will for her to use her voice to kill any pirates who might have neared. However, she let us go instead."

"Later… when I came across her again in a tavern as she was singing for all the patrons to help soothe them rather than to use her voice for evil, we talked for over an hour about why she spared me and my crew and how she longed to get away," Killian continued again, after he took another moment as he thought back to his and Ursula's first meeting. "To travel to the land that was her mother's favorite place to sing so she could make people happy. She was singing in the tavern only to save up enough gold for passage. Because she spared my ship, I offered to take her there free of charge. At the time… I meant what I said. I truly wanted to help her because I was grateful. Not just for sparing me, but because she could do what no one's ever been able to do for me since Milah's death, until of course you came into my life as well."

Emma looked at him sadly while he spoke, until she asked, "So… what changed?"

Her pirate kept his eyes downward so as to avoid Emma's eyes while he regrettably replied, "Her father… He changed everything. Because I allowed my hatred for Rumplestiltskin and lust for revenge get the better of me. Just as I always have. He took away my chance for revenge, and because he did, I retaliated against him. You see… Ursula's father is God of the Seas. Poseidon. I knew that the best way to hurt a God, who is immortal and unkillable… was to take away the one thing he loves most. I took away from him more than just one."

Sixty or so years ago, within the Enchanted Forest…

Killian's thoughts fell back on that night while he continued to share his past with the Sea Witch. Upon Ursula's return from stealing the squid ink from her father like he had asked her to do for him in exchange for safe passage aboard the Jolly Roger, she met up again with Hook aboard his ship's deck with a sea shell in hand as he stood in front of her.

"I trust that you didn't run into any trouble," Hook softly stated to the young mermaid with concern that she might have gotten into trouble for helping him.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Ursula haughtily answered him as she opened up the shell so he could see the squid ink for himself before he reached out to take it from her.

Hook stared down at the vial in wonderment as he whispered modestly, "I've waited a century for this. I couldn't have done this without your help, Ursula. So, tell me… where do you want to go to first?"

Unfortunately, Poseidon had suddenly appeared onboard the Jolly Roger without either of them or the rest of crew even noticing, then the God of the Seas responded furiously, "You're not taking her anywhere."

"Stand down, men," Hook swiftly demanded of his men upon seeing each of the pirates under his command draw their weapons as they prepared for a fight. "This is between me and the Sea King."

"No!" the God's daughter immediately called out in her own anger and then turned to face her father. "It's about me. Hook told me what you asked him to do. You were trying to take away the only thing I have left of Mother."

After he looked over at the pirate Captain in disappointment since Hook refused to do like he asked of him, Poseidon turned back to his daughter again as he replied urgently, "So I wouldn't lose you the way I lost her."

When he looked to the pirate again, he added angrily, "You may have fooled my daughter, but I know exactly what you are. You only care about one thing… your vengeance."

"Now you'll never get it," the God cruelly exclaimed after he suddenly used the power of his trident to steal back the squid ink as it vanished from Ursula's hand before she or Hook could do anything to stop him.

"You have no idea what you've just done," Hook coldly grumbled once his chance for revenge had been stolen from him, as he attempted to draw his sword in order to strike down Poseidon, until the God easily froze the villain and his band of pirates in place to keep them from attacking against him and his own guards.

Hook seethed in anger while he glared darkly at the God of the Seas, who then questioned him coldly, "You dare attack a deity?"

However, the pirate Captain sinisterly retorted, "I don't have to kill you to make you suffer. I know I'm not the only one consumed by vengeance."

"No!" Ursula fearfully cried out in shock, when Hook swiftly turned to her while holding the shell out to her so he could steal what he knew Poseidon loved most to punish the God.

The shell's magic suddenly pulled the mermaid's singing voice from her throat until it became locked within the shell which he held tightly within his fist, thanks to the God having given it to him earlier that day so he could do to Ursula as he just did to help teach his daughter a lesson about the cruelty of humans.

"Now you'll never sink another ship with this," Hook then spoke cruelly to the God again, after he looked at the young mermaid guiltily for only a moment, until he remembered his revenge against the Crocodile.

"How could you?" Ursula hoarsely asked the pirate still standing between her and her father with bitter disappointment in him. "You said you had a code. You said you'd never steal my voice."

The pirate fought against the guilt that surged strongly around his heart, as he brusquely answered her, "That was before your father destroyed my one chance at revenge."

She glared at him while she responded angrily, "My father is a tyrant, but you're no better. Keep it. If this is what humans are like, no one deserves to hear it."

"Ursula!" Poseidon sternly shouted out to his daughter after she pulled off the cuff from around her wrist that allowed for her to walk on land and jumped off the side of the ship so she could escape from both of the men she now saw as villains, then the God turned to face Hook darkly once more. "Give me the shell."

"And give you the satisfaction of returning it to her?" the pirate Captain cruelly responded, as he threatened to crush the enchanted shell he held tightly within the palm of his hand, making it clear to Poseidon he meant it. "Now go. Before I destroy it, and everything you hold dear."

Back in the present…

Once Killian finished sharing with Emma all he had done to Ursula and her father that night, he continued to refuse to even look at her while he whispered shamefully, "I didn't only steal Ursula's singing voice that night… I tore a father and daughter apart. Turned them against one another. Just one more sin I will never be able to make right."

However, a thought suddenly dawned on him and when he finally lifted his head so he could look her in the eyes, Killian spoke again strongly saying, "On second thought… perhaps I can. I have to talk with her. I just might be able to help her find her happy ending again. If I can get her alone… and convince her to… to work with me to…"

"Killian, no!" Emma suddenly cut him off sternly out of worry after she started to understand what he was thinking, then began to plead with him not to go through with whatever it was. "If you think Ursula is going to accept that you can restore her happy ending, you're mistaken. She's a villain who will hurt you if she's given the chance. You can't talk to her on your own. Please don't try, at least not without me there to protect you. Promise me."

"I promise," he gently replied to her, even though he feared this was one promise he might not be able to keep for her, should his notion be all that might stop the Sea Witch from hurting the woman he loved so deeply.