The Dark Backward
Chapter Sixteen
Once more, inside the Dark Backward…
When Emma awoke again in the woods, she struggled to sit up and then to stand back on her feet. However, once she finally could, she started making her way to the well before this realm's version of her parents could find her again in case they even still existed now that the witchdoctor had killed them. She wasn't willing to take the chance of running into them again now that she knew what they were… or that they weren't really her parents and that they were dangerous like Facilier had warned them.
After she finally made it back to the well, she was grateful to see that Maleficent was waiting for her there liked the Savior hoped she would be, thanks to the sorceress knowing she always ran that way to get back into town to find Killian. And without a word, Maleficent quickly waved her hand, then transported them both back to the Jolly Roger to find Killian again before something more could happen to him again. Thankfully, it didn't take much for Emma to explain to him before he believed her like he always did, and they walked down off the ship as they headed straightaway for the library so they could find the portal in hope of getting home at last.
"So… how many times have you been through this loop where I've…?" Killian quietly began to ask Emma as they walked until he cut himself off before he mentioned he had died upon seeing the despair and exhaustion in his love's eyes.
"Too many times to count," she replied truthfully, and then felt his hand wrap around her own in comfort. "But then once… once is too many. I won't lose you again, Killian. Not this time. Not with us being so close. I can't… because if I do, I'm afraid I'm going to lose myself to the point of no coming back."
The man who loved her nodded as he answered, "Believe me, I understand better than you might think I do. I may not have watched you die, Swan. But I have watched a woman I loved once die too and it destroyed me even more so than how bad off I had been after Liam died in my arms. And now with Gold threatening to take you from me too… You're stronger than you believe you are. I promise to stay alive so I can keep trying to prove it to you every minute of every day if that's what you need from me. Even if you don't."
She stopped walking once they reached the clock tower, then turned to face the Captain beside her while she looked up into his eyes and responded softly, "When you look at me like you are right now, I can't help but believe you. And I do, Killian. We're almost home."
"Which is why we should keep moving and get down to that portal before tragedy strikes again," the villainess curtly said in frustration when she opened the library's doors for them and motioned for them to enter in front of her. "No more of this lovey dovey stuff until you're back in reality and nowhere around me."
"You're right," Emma replied awkwardly while she glanced over at Maleficent, then looked over at Killian again and smiled when she walked into the building ahead of him, as he followed behind her. "Let's get out of here."
Together, Emma and Maleficent unleashed their power once more against the protection spell over the elevator doors to break down the barriers and rode the lift down its shaft until they stepped out into the cavern below again at last, where ahead of them stood the open mandala alone like before. However, they knew better than to think they would just be able to pass through the portal without facing whatever danger was waiting for them. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the next danger appeared the closer they drew near to it.
When the mummified beast Hook had fought within this cave over a year ago after Regina had double crossed him during one of their schemes against the heroes, rose up from the ground, they all backed away and stared up at the creature as Emma stood protectively in front of Killian, then called out, "Uh… Maleficent… is that you?"
The sorceress glared up at her other self as she answered curtly, "Yeah… when I was in my undead form. I remember fighting Hook some time ago when I was like this."
The beast screeched loudly, then suddenly lashed out against Emma and Killian as she swung her arm wildly, forcing them back through the air until they landed roughly against the ground again. Maleficent immediately moved in between her and the heroes to face off against herself, then they both unleashed magic upon each other while she shouted back to the others to run to the portal.
They did like she asked, but stopped again before they passed through to wait for the sorceress who was fighting to protect them. Finally, Maleficent managed to strike against her and blasted the mummified beast back far enough away to give her the opening needed for her to join Emma and Hook. However, the creature roared and swiftly charged at Killian to kill him, until Emma and Maleficent both discharged their powers against it before it could strike the pirate captain down. In doing so, it suddenly burst into ash above them and they covered their heads.
Once it was finally destroyed, Emma raised her head again to look over at Killian and smiled as he smiled at her as well, then the Savior turned to Maleficent again while she spoke sincerely saying, "Thank you, Maleficent. For protecting us."
"It's like I told your pirate before, I've been doing all of this only for myself," she coldly responded. "Now let's get out of this hell."
"Emma… what is it?" Killian then asked her after the sorceress passed through the portal first and was about to follow after her until he saw a sudden fear in his love's eyes. "We've won and I'm alive."
"Yes, but… but what if you're not once we pass through this portal?" the Savior replied fearfully when she turned her head to look again into his eyes. "Killian… you were dead when we arrived here. What if… when we pass through again, you die all over again? What if this time… there's no bringing you back again? How can I go through all of this, just to lose you one last time?"
Before he said anything more, Killian pulled the woman he loved in close and lowered his head so he could kiss her, then when he finally pulled back, he looked deep into her eyes and she into his while he answered gently, "Whatever happens, don't ever forget how much I love you, Emma. I believe that my love for you… and the love you feel for me is powerful enough to change my fate. You're unsure how you truly feel for me and that's all right. My love for you is enough. But if I'm wrong… if you wake up again and find I'm not there, I need you to stay strong. To know that one day you will be okay again. You deserve to be happy. Remember… I will always be with you. I will be."
When Killian began to kiss her again, as tears fell once more from her eyes, he held her tenderly against his body and finally pushed her into the mandala while they passed through it together, then fell into nothing but complete darkness once the portal's light faded away all around them.
Beyond the Dark Backward, within their true realm…
Emma raised her hands in front of her to defend herself against whatever dark magic the sorceress was about to fire at her by her own power. However, as soon as Maleficent fired the ball of light at her, the Savior was suddenly shoved backwards hard against the cold, rocky ground. Only her head didn't strike the ground, as she had been protected by the hand of the person who protected her. And when she weakly opened her eyes once her breath from being barreled into came back to her while she turned her eyes to see who was now lying completely still on top of her, the Savior was terrified to discover it was Killian. Especially knowing the dark magic had stuck him instead.
While Emma laid beneath him, every memory from their time trapped within the Dark Backward suddenly flooded through her mind again and she finally struggled to sit up as she pulled herself out from under the hero who saved her once more upon realizing they had been returned to the pivotal moment that began the chaos. A few feet away, Maleficent immediately lowered her hands upon seeing she had just fired her power against Hook like she had done before, then stared down on them in shock from waking up in that same moment.
Emma rolled Killian onto his back as she cried, and raised her hands to his face, pleading with him to come back to her. And then, much to her surprise, Killian suddenly gasped when he awoke, then struggled to breathe through the pain while he looked up weakly into her eyes and smiled.
She stared down at him in disbelief until she whispered, "Killian? You're… you're alive?"
"Aye… I told you our love was powerful enough to change… to change my fate," Killian unwaveringly responded to her, then the woman he loved carefully helped him to sit up. "I remember everything. I'm not sure how, but you and your magic are stronger than you've ever been able to believe. I could feel your power flowing through me once we collided. And… I'm a survivor."
"Emma!" David then shouted out to his daughter when he came running towards them from the elevator several feet away, followed closely by Tinker Bell and Leroy as they immediately moved to stand protectively in front Emma and Hook while facing Maleficent. "Are you alright?"
The sorceress looked at them as she stated, "You don't have to worry. I'm not going to hurt Emma or her pirate again. I've seen enough pain for one day… or several."
With that said, she suddenly vanished from before them before anyone other than Emma or Killian could make any sense of her words. David then turned around to face his daughter and Hook and waited to talk to her as she continued to embrace the man she was falling in love with even more now than she could understand she'd been before.
At last, Emma looked over at her father and their friends again as she spoke up softly saying, "We're fine. Thank you… for ignoring my request for you not to follow me. I really mean that. Tink… Leroy… thank you too. And Dad… you can go back to tell Mom everything's fine. What's happened is a really long story. But for now… just let her know I'll be staying with Killian for awhile. Aboard the Jolly Roger. If we're going to get through the strain that's fallen between us, I need some space. And I need time."
"I hope your offer's still…" she quickly added when she turned around to look into Killian's eyes again until he cut her off.
"Of course you're welcome to stay with me for as long as you would like, Swan," Killian whispered to her when he did so. "So long as you're certain this is really what you want?"
The Savior smiled and leaned in to kiss him again, then she replied, "It is. I've watched you die too many times tonight, Killian… Or for however long we were trapped in there. But you've also proven to me you're a survivor when you stayed with me in a time it really counted and when I needed you most. You've put my fears of losing you to rest. Not to mention you've also saved me from completely losing myself to the darkness like I feared I had. I want to be with the person I trust the most and right now… For a long time that's been you."
When Emma and Killian turned around then to face David again, Charming let out a quiet sigh and then he said, "I don't understand any of what either of you have been through, so I hope you will come over to our place soon to tell us everything. But until you do… I do understand your decision, Emma. So will your mother even if it hurts us. We hurt you too because we did something terrible. Of course we understand."
"Thank you," his daughter answered her father in sincerity, then hugged both Grumpy and Tinker Bell in gratitude for them coming down to make sure they would be okay before they walked out of the cave together to return to the streets above.
Later, on their way back to the Jolly Roger again, they passed by Gold's shop and discovered he was inside when they looked through the window, then walked in as Emma used her magic to open the locked door. The Dark One turned around then to face them, a little surprised by their sudden intrusion.
"Miss. Swan… and Captain… my shop is still closed, so what brings you here?" he asked them frankly. "And at this late hour?"
The Savior looked at the villain coldly as she responded, "Killian and I know you were down in the cave tonight watching my confrontation with Maleficent and then saw when Killian was almost killed. But like everyone else… what you don't know is that you were much closer to succeeding in getting everything you wanted tonight than you know. Your plan to send us into the Dark Backward worked, but we defeated it and made it back home. That is if you planned to open a portal to the Dark Backward all along. It might have just been a spur of the moment decision. But my point is… you failed to darken my heart again because Killian's still alive. If you ever hurt anyone I care about again to try to get what you want, you will regret it."
Gold looked at her sternly and then he replied, "I've no idea what you mean, Savior. But I'll heed your warning. Was that all?"
"Actually… no," Hook answered darkly before Emma could say anything more when he felt her body stiffen. "There was another villain you've apparently doubled crossed whom we ran into also trapped there. A witchdoctor who called himself Facilier. He might not be here yet, but he is seeking his own revenge against you. You've been fair warned."
"Indeed I have been, pirate," the villain responded.
Before any more words could be said, Gold suddenly vanished from his shop to return to the Author, leaving Emma and Hook behind once he had all he wanted from it. The Savior looked over at Killian again worryingly, then they finally left themselves to continue on towards the Jolly Roger.
Over the course of the next few days, a lot happened in Storybrooke. Some good and some bad. Cruella had been defeated, but at a heavy cost that once again nearly cost the Savior the goodness within her heart when she had been forced to kill the villainess without knowing the whole truth that she wasn't really a threat to her son.
However, Regina and Robin were reunited and the archer was free to return to Storybrooke upon the discovery that Marian was really Zelena in disguise after the true Marian had been killed years ago. Killian helped his love to find it in her heart again to forgive her parents at last for what they had done to Maleficent and Lily, and they too were reunited, making the sorceress no longer a threat. All they had left to do was to stop Gold and the Author from rewriting everyone's happy endings once and for all.
The End
