A/N- I finally just had to stop myself from being nit-picky and just post this. There was so much to convey in this chapter, I hope it makes sense. Also...THE PAIN! Ouch. Fair warning... lots and lots of angst.

Thanks so much for the reviews on this story! I love hearing from you. And if you are just a reader, I'm glad you decided to give it a go.

CHAPTER 7

"Hey, honey? Have you seen Emma today?" Mary Margaret asked David, eyes darting around the station for her missing daughter. Neal was fussing in her arms, trying to grab at her ear with his chubby hand, as she kissed her husband hello. "I just stopped by the loft, but she wasn't there. I thought she had the day off."

"Did you check Killian's room?" David muttered, a slight crease marring his brow.

His wife chuckled and swatted him. "I was at Granny's all morning with Belle. Don't worry, she wasn't there," she added with a knowing wink.

David shrugged and stepped over to kiss his infant son on the cheek and let him play with his fingers. "She was supposed to go to Regina's I think. Why?"

Mary Margaret let out a relieved breath. "Oh, that's right! I can't believe I forgot."

David frowned. His wife had clearly been very upset about Emma. Why? "What's going on?"

He watched as her eye's shadowed with apprehension. "David, I am so worried. Ever since Blue told us about Maleficent, I haven't stopped wondering what she might do. What are we going to do if she comes after us?" She trembled and squeezed her son tighter to her chest.

Gathering his near wife in his arms, he told her, "Snow, we will do what we have to, like always, to keep everyone safe. So far, we haven't heard a word from her. Who knows? Maybe Blue was wrong. Maybe Maleficent is smart enough to know that she doesn't have the power to take us all on by herself."

Mary Margaret pushed back. "And maybe she's just waiting for the right time. David! We have to do something before she tries to harm our family!"

Although he wasn't immune to her fears, David knew he had to keep her from panicking. "Like what? We don't even know where she is."

Her face fell and David felt her shudder in his arms. "I know," she said softly. "Oh, god. What if Emma finds out what we did? She'd never forgive us."

"That won't happen. Everyone who knew is gone."

"Except for Maleficent."

"Yes, but on her own, she's not much of a threat. We've beaten her before. Blue has her wand. It's alright. It's all going to be alright."

"David, I don't like this. I don't like any of this." She sniffled.

He hugged her tighter. "I know. But we can't tell Emma. Not now."

Mary Margaret pulled back, uncertainty still etched in her green eyes. "Maybe you should just call her anyway. For me. I'll feel much better knowing she's safe."

David offered her a grin, lovingly running his hand over her hair and neck. "Sure. And then I'll walk you and Neal back to the loft, okay?"

Mary Margaret nodded, a sad but grateful smile on her lips. Just then, the station phone lit up and David reluctantly hurried away to answer.

"Sheriff Nolen," he stated.

"Hey David, it's Tom at the Rabbit Hole. We've got a bit of a problem. You're going to need to get down here right away." In the background, David could hear the unmistakable sound of breaking glass and angry shouts. A bar fight? At two in the afternoon?

"I'll be right there."

"Great," the old barman grunted. "And David? Bring backup." The line went dead and David blinked a few times wondering just what was going on.

He turned to his wife and said, "Sorry, Snow. Duty calls. Apparently some sort of brawl at the Rabbit Hole." He gave her an apologetic look and she squeezed his arm in understanding. "Head on home and I'll check up on you when I'm done." She smiled and readjusted Neal as she headed out the door.

Picking up his phone, David rang Emma. It wasn't answered right away and David frowned at that. It wasn't like Emma to not answer. Knowing time was important, David called up the next best person he could—Killian—but he, too, didn't answer. Grumbling, David placed another call, this one to Leroy.

On the second ring, the dwarf answered. "Brother, I am so glad you called," he groused, his gruff voice flush with relief. Again, David could hear the sound of breaking glass and wood in the background.

"Leroy, what is going on? Are you at the bar?"

"Yeah. Where are you? Are you on your way?"

"Yes. But I don't have anyone else coming. No one is answering their phones except you."

"Did you try Emma?"

"Of course I did! And I tried Hook."

Leroy growled a bit and then snorted. "Yeah, well, there's a reason he ain't answering and I'm looking right at it." With that cryptic answer, the call cut off and David frowned in confusion.

Arriving at the Rabbit Hole, David pulled in the police car and re-checked to make sure his gun was secured in his holster and his cuffs were on his belt. As he exited, he saw the tell-tale signs of some sort of bar fight. The door was splintered, a window pane broken and man with a bloody nose was perched against the side of the building. Before he could take two steps, however, Leroy was rushing out to meet him.

"Boy am I glad to see you! We weren't sure we were ever going to get him down, but then Little John landed a really lucky punch and now he's out cold," Leroy said in a rush, as they pushed past the busted up front door.

Adjusting his eyes to the dim light of the bar, David asked, "Who started this? And who's out cold?"

"Him," he said, directing David's eye with his hand to the far corner of the bar where a figure in black lay prone on the floor. Little John squatted over the man with a worried look on his face. "Captain freakin' Hook," Leroy stated.

David rocked back, stunned by the news. "Hook? He did this?" Looking around, David took in the extent of the destruction for the first time. Tables and chairs were broken and overturned. Other unconscious figures were strewn about in various positions. Tom, the owner, stood behind his bar, arms crossed and a huge scowl on his face. David recognized the patrons as a mix of dwarves, Merry Men, and if he wasn't mistaken, pirates. Crap.

Rushing over, David greeted Little John and bent down to examine the man he was guarding. It was definitely Hook, his trademark appendage was stretched out under his head. A small river of blood was coursing from his nose and mouth, and even in the dim light David could see the bluish hue of a black eye. "What the hell, Hook?" He muttered quietly. Turning back to Leroy and Tom, David stood up and resumed his princely mantle. "What happened here? Start at the beginning and tell me everything you can remember."

It was Tom who spoke first, explaining how Hook had come in, ordered a bottle of rum and had gone off to join his former crew for a few rounds. Everything seemed fine until some of the Merry Men started to get a bit too merry and began singing a song. Hook grew angry and told them to "Shut it, mates, before I stitch your lips together with the fine point of my hook." Needless to say, the Merry Men weren't too keen on his threat, and within moments, it had come to blows. Some of the dwarves stepped in, trying to get between the pirates and woodsmen, but they just became casualties as well. By all accounts, though, it was Hook who threw the first punch.

Damn. I really had thought he'd changed for good, David thought, shaking his head in frustration. Emma was going to be pissed when she heard about this. That thought made him cringe. As much as he hated to admit it, Hook had been making his daughter so very happy lately. Now he had to go and ruin everything.

"John, can you help me get him into the car?" David barked, feeling his irritation rise. He had every intention of booking Killian for starting the fight and forcing him to serve time, no matter if they were 'mates' or not. Little John nodded, and together the two of them drug his unconscious body out to the back of the cruiser. Just before David locked him in, however, he reached for Killian's hook, twisting it until it unlatched, and pulled it off.

"Sorry, mate. Can't take any chances with a pirate," David said softly, placing the weapon in the inner pocket of his coat.

Finishing up his investigation with Tom and Leroy, he told them to take stock of the damage. He would see to it that Killian made restitution for the damage he caused, as well as formally apologizing to the Merry Men before he would be allowed anywhere near his daughter again. Realizing he still hadn't gotten ahold of Emma, David made one more attempt to get ahold of her, leaving her a short message about Hook in hopes she would call. When David finished, he climbed into the car and headed for town, the pirate still passed out in the back seat.

...

It was the vibration of her phone that brought reality crashing back down around her. Blinking rapidly, Emma took a deep breath and thought, What the fuck did I just do?

The high from her magic drained away, leaving her feeling nauseous and ill, not entirely different from an actual drug trip. Ursula remained silent, merely observing her with her head tilted and arms crossed. Fumbling around for a life line, anything that could ground her back to the real world, Emma shoved her hands into her pockets and wrapped one hand around her phone. It was as far from magic and fairy tales as she could manage at the moment.

The magic that had coursed through her was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was so strong, so tempting, she could still feel the desire to call it forth again shouting out to her. And, oh, how her heart ached to feel that power again! But right now, her head was in charge. Her mind was screaming back at her that nothing about this was right.

"Everything okay, Emma?" Ursula asked cautiously. There wasn't a hint of insincerity in her voice, but Emma felt like she was hiding something all the same. Why hadn't she picked up on that before? How did she get roped into this situation anyway? Come on, Emma, you know better. You are getting in way over your head here.

"Um, yeah. I think I just need a minute though. That was a bit…"

"Overwhelming? Amazing?" Ursula offered with a smirk.

"Something like that," Emma mumbled. Suddenly, she felt the very strong desire to run, like she needed to get the hell out of that house before something else bad happened. Don't kid yourself, Emma. Something bad already happened. You used dark magic, and you know it.

NO!

She pushed that thought down. Way down. Shuddering, she smiled a little too brightly back at Ursula and pulled out her phone from her pocket to distract herself from those disturbing thoughts. Four missed calls. All from David. And a message. Listening to it, she sighed in disappointment, her heart clenching painfully. Killian had gotten into a bar fight and David was taking him to the station. Warring thoughts about her boyfriend vied for dominance and increased her frustration with herself.

A bar fight Killian, what were you thinking?

Grabbing her things, Emma hastened for the door. "Hey, um, I need to get going. There's been an issue come up."

Ursula shrugged, looking disheartened. "Sure, no problem. But I hope you're not running away because you're scared."

"I'm not scared," Emma snapped, hesitating at the door, her hand mid-turn.

The sea witch strolled forward, laying a hand on Emma's arm and squeezing it gently. "Emma, look, you have extremely powerful magic. It's only natural to feel a bit overwhelmed by that the first time you really get a taste of what you can do. But don't let that stop you. If you do, you might not be able to control it the next time you use it. You have to practice and keep at it. You shouldn't be afraid of trying to reach your potential."

Emma breathed in deeply. Was that what she was really doing? Was it dark magic she used or something different? She hated the nagging voice in the back of her mind that said she knew exactly what kind of magic she had used and there was nothing good or light about it. Because she really didn't want to stop using her magic. It just felt so damn good.

Before she could reply, though, her phone rang once more. This time she answered.

"Emma! Thank god, I've been trying to reach you all day."

"I know, Dad, I'm s—"

"Not important," he interrupted and Emma noticed how out of breath and freaked out David sounded. "I need you to get out here, right now! The hell beast is back and it's got Hook!"

….

David couldn't understand what had happened. One minute he was driving down the road, the next, the car was violently jerked to the side, crashing into a ditch just outside the forest. Shaken, but unharmed, it took David a second to come to. Killian's groans from the back seat called him back to the moment. "Hang on, man. You okay?" David asked, turning around to try and get a better look at the pirate.

"What the devil?" Hook coughed, sounding completely confused but not angry. David took that as a good sign. "Mate? Why am I here? And why does it feel like I've been punched in the face by a giant?"

"Hold on, I'll come around for you," David stated, getting out of the cruiser. He stepped out and assessed the damage to the car, trying to determine what caused the impact in the first place. There didn't seem to be anything in the road that they had hit, and the tires weren't flat…

Just then, he saw the deep scratch running alongside the door. Before he could process it, though, he heard a tremendous roar. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet disappeared as he was flung through the air, crashing on the other side of the road. Shuddering from the impact of his body and the ground, he looked up in time to see the Chernabog grabbing the cruiser between its taloned claws and lifting it from the ground. He could hear Killian shouting curses at the thing from inside the vehicle, but David knew with the doors locked from the outside, there would be no way for him to escape.

David began shouting at the creature himself as it violently shook the car and clawed at the windows trying to get inside. The beast seemed unbothered by David's shouts and with no other recourse, David drew his gun, firing all his rounds into its side. He might as well of been shooting blanks. The Chernabog growled and roared, bringing down one enormous fist to smash against the roof of the car, and flapping its great wings against the car. If David couldn't stop it, he knew the pirate would be dead in minutes. Having no more options, he grabbed his phone and dialed Emma, praying this time that she would answer. Come on, Emma. Pick up, pick up, pick up.

When she answered, David was so relieved, he nearly laughed. "Emma! Thank god!"

….

Emma had never driven so fast in all her life. The black stretch of road blurred out in front of her and all she could do was think of David's words. Through their connection, she could feel the rush of adrenaline and fear coursing through Killian's body and she kept reminding herself that it was a good thing. At least that meant he was still alive.

In moments, she arrived at the edge of the woods, just in time to see the beast finally manage on ripping off the roof of the car. She flew out the door, barely killing her engine, and blasting it with a bolt of white light before it could wrap its claws around Killian. She kept shooting as she ran forward, feet pounding against the pavement, her pony tail whipping across her face. The red eyes of the creature never left her and never dimmed even as it continued to go after her pirate. Killian had fallen quiet, no doubt looking for a way out of this mess while it was distracted. Noticing her father hunkered down behind a tree, waiting for an opportunity to get to Killian, Emma stepped forward to face off with this thing.

Suddenly, she remembered Ursula's words about destroying the belt. And there it was, exactly as she remembered. Flapping its giant, bat-like wings, it lifted high in the air, lining itself up to dive at her. In her peripheral vision, she could see her father helping Killian climb out of the wreckage of the car, and she focused her attention back on the fight in front of her, knowing she needed to keep it distracted.

Once again, she felt the welling up of her new powers as she faced this beast. A sliver of cold, like ice water, washed over her and she looked up at the quickly approaching monster with a wicked smile. Suddenly, the cold gave way to heat. Fire pulsed in her veins again and this time, Emma allowed herself to drown in it. It felt so good, so right to want to destroy the creature.

Never wavering, she continued to stare the beast down, locking onto its red gleaming eyes. A wave of red light flew from her fingers hitting the belt and shattering it into a starburst of tiny sparks. Mid-dive, the Chernabog screeched and wheeled back, flapping it's great wings to take it away.

David and a beat-up Killian rushed immediately to her side as the creature retreated. "Emma! You did it!" David exclaimed happily. Killian however, frowned at her, looking down at her hands without a word.

"Yeah," she smiled brightly, bursting with pride and relief, "And now it's going to take care of the town's crocodile population for us," she added with a saucy wink towards her pirate.

Killian perked up at this. "Swan, what are you talking about? Why would it go after Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Ursula told me that if I destroyed the belt, Gold's control over the beast will be broken and it will go after the person who has the greatest potential for darkness. Therefore, problems one…" she held aloft a finger, "and two…" she added another, "are solved." She was nearly laughing in excitement, her fingers still sparking with magic.

But the two men standing opposite her were anything but happy. "What do you mean 'Ursula told me'? When did you speak to that sea witch?" Killian growled angrily, nearly shaking her with the tightness of his grip on her arm. Just then, she was hit by a wave of emotion from him: fear and shame in equal measure.

"Do you know Ursula?" She asked him incredulously. His eyes met hers and darkened before turning away and she knew she had him caught.

"Drop it, Swan," he replied mentally. An image of a brick wall slammed up inside his head and she huffed in disbelief.

"Are you blocking me?"

"Lass, I can't do this right now," he begged, deep pain shadowed behind his entrancing blue eyes.

There was something he wasn't telling her and she was going to find out what it was. "Why can't you tell me? She was helping me defeat that thing." She looked up over her shoulder and waved a hand in the air, "And see, the beast is gone. So you drop it."

Oblivious to the tension, David cut in. "Emma, honey, what's going on? How did you meet Ursula? And what do you mean she's helping you?"

Before she could explain or argue again, another howl tore through the air. Emma looked up in time to see the dark shadow of the Chernabog once again descending. Her face fell in disbelief, "Seriously?"

"I thought it was going after Gold?" David exclaimed, running with Emma and Killian for the cover of Emma's car.

"It was supposed to," Emma yelled angrily. Why wasn't it? Had the spell not worked? Did Ursula lie? "Gold's control is broken, why is it after us?"

The creature swooped once more, this time trying to claw at Emma. She shot back with fireballs and it flew back up, never taking its glowing eyes off of her.

Beside her, Killian placed a finger under her chin, drawing up her eyes to look at his. A look of something like the worst kind of sadness reflected out of their hypnotic blue depths. "Not us, love," Killian said quietly. "You."

Unable to face his implications, Emma shrugged him off and scrambled up around her car, locking out the voices of her father and Killian as they shouted for her to stop. A mad spark of a plan had popped into her mind and she knew she would get one chance at destroying this thing before it could come after her. Turning to face it, she drew upon all the power she had used earlier that afternoon.

As her magic shot forth, she heard the beast screeching in terror. Her heart burned painfully as she kept casting devastating curses at it, weakening its defenses bit by bit. Her magic had gotten stronger after all and the more she fought the more powerful she felt.

All of a sudden, it tumbled from the sky, cracking the ground upon its landing. The creature roared pitifully back at her and tried to stretch its broken wings to no avail. Emma stepped closer, a smile curving up the edges of her mouth. Stretching out her hand toward it, she didn't feel the slightest bit bad when, with a final burst of magic, she destroyed it entirely.

….

Back at the loft, Killian swallowed thickly, unable to stop nervously fiddling with his leather cuff. Swan was safe and that was all that mattered, he reminded himself again. Unfortunately, it wasn't doing much good.

She stood defiantly in the middle of the loft, a golden haired warrior, defending herself and her choices to her horrified looking parents. Her eyes flashed with anger at her parents as they begged her for an explanation for her actions. She rolled her eyes, telling them that she did what was necessary and that they should let it go.

"Emma, honey," Mary Margaret said softly, "Please, we aren't angry. We're just trying to understand." Her brow creased in sadness as she rocked Neal in her arms, holding him tightly to her chest as if he was her lifeline. David wrapped an arm around his wife, nodding in agreement.

Laughing, Emma replied, "Understand? Since when have you ever tried to understand me?"

Her parents stared back, dumbstruck.

Killian's emotions were a raging sea. He wanted to melt into the wall, become one with the brick and wood. Anything to stop the torment of his own thoughts. Nothing he could think of would explain why he had attacked those men at the bar, or why he had taken such delight in it. It had been centuries since he had felt such unbridled rage and fire. And Emma. Gods! He thought he had known everything there was to know about her, but when he saw the red sparks across her fingers, he had nearly fell apart. She had used dark magic to kill the hell beast, of that, he had no doubt.

Dark bloody magic, once again the bane of his existence.

Emma was still arguing with her parents, her walls up higher than ever and her parents pounding uselessly at her defenses. It mattered not. Killian knew Emma well enough to know that the direct approach would never work when she was in this state. He would have to be far more subtle. He had to think like a pirate.

However, he was conflicted. There was no way that his Swan could possess dark magic. Dark magic was the thing he had warred against for centuries. It brought him nothing but pain and strife. No, Swan's magic was always different. Hers was always like a brilliant white light, the color of purity and redemption. In its presence, he felt a sense of peace and contentment. He was always able to feel the love and goodness emanating from her soul, touching all those around her and healing his wounded heart. But this Emma was different. Her face as the creature was attacking wasn't full of concern and care, it was gleeful, almost as if she was delighting in the destruction. What was happening to her?

Someone must have poisoned his Swan, fundamentally changing her and her magic. Killian rubbed the brace where his hook should be, wondering briefly about its whereabouts, as he vowed to do whatever he could to bring her back. Whoever it was that had dared to do this to her would pay dearly for their transgressions.

No, that wasn't right, he thought ruefully. Not whoever. He knew exactly who had done this.

The crocodile. Of course it would come back to him. Killian had no doubt in his mind that whatever was happening to Emma was a direct result of the schemes and meddling of that imp. He needed to be stopped. No, not just stopped. He needed to pay.

And Ursula? What was that witch doing around Emma? Why was she even here? His past with her was still a source of nightmares. How was she involved with Emma? Did she know about their relationship? Jaw clenching, he balled his hands into fists, even feeling the sensation in his phantom limb. Despite his guilt, Ursula, too, would pay if he found out she was involved.

But the crocodile came first.

Emma was utterly silent, her eyes raging and…no, they couldn't be! Her eyes, always so beguiling with their swirl of greens and blues and golds, had turned an alarming shade of red. Her entire expression was one he had seen numerous times on the Dark One, the Evil Queen, Cora, even—he shuddered and his stomach dropped—Pan. Before his very eyes she was turning from a savior into a villain. This madness must stop!

Suddenly, all the wavering he had been doing coalesced into a single, burning clarity of thought. He had known all along exactly what he needed to do and now he could no longer hesitate to do it. With new determination and a unified goal, Killian mapped out a plan of action.

In order to mete out justice and bring back his Swan, he would need his hook back. Killian eyed David carefully. The prince had been the one to arrest him, so therefore it followed the prince now possessed his metal attachment. At least getting it back would be enjoyable.

Before he could move, however, the argument had finally reached its climax. Killian could feel the pulse of Emma's disgust with her parents. He longed to reach out to her, to reassure her of his love, of their love, but he knew in her current state, such efforts would be futile.

"THAT'S IT!" She screamed, breaking the stilted silence, and rocking him back with the force of her anger. Above her, the overhead lights burst and glass sprinkled around. Mary Margaret whimpered and held Neal tightly, blocking him from the falling glass, while David covered both of them with his body.

"Emma!" David scolded. "What are you—"

"No! You don't get to stand there and judge me. You don't get to stand there and pretend you understand me. You have never understood me. This…" she waved her hand in the air, a red flame following in its wake, "is me! This is who I really am."

"Emma, no, this isn't you!" Mary Margaret cried.

"How would you know, mom," Emma spat. "How could you possibly ever understand the power inside of me? I am so much more than 'the product of true love'," she scoffed, a cruel laugh following her words. "As if you were somehow responsible for who I am. I have done everything on my own! All my life, I've struggled and fought for just a taste of what you have. I have never had anything of my own. And now I do, and you want to take it away!"

"Honey, we don't want to take anything away from you! Of course we don't! We have wanted to give you everything. We love you. All of you," her mother weeped, pouring every ounce of feeling she could into the words.

Emma flinched from the words as if Mary Margaret had struck a physical blow. Suddenly, her whole body shuddered, and the angry light died from her eyes. She looked back and forth at the horrified and worried faces of her family, her eyes lingering on the bundled up shape of her little brother, as if she couldn't believe what she had done.

Killian was hit by a wave of immense guilt and knew exactly what would come next. Emma looked back at him quickly, her green eyes filled with tears. All he could do was nod gently, giving her his reassurance that he understood what she needed, and that it was okay. She gave him the smallest of smiles in gratitude before turning back to her parents.

"Mom, dad…I'm…I'm sorry," Emma began unsteadily. They both sagged in relief, eager to offer her their understanding, but as they began to speak, she cut them off. "I'm sorry, but I can't… I have to go." And with that, she closed her eyes tightly and in a swirl of red and white magic, disappeared from the loft.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret screamed after her, startling the baby in her arms who began to cry. Crestfallen, Snow clung to her son, offering him the comfort she couldn't give to her daughter. A heavy silence descended as Emma's absence seemed to create a void in the room.

David stared at the spot where Emma had been, his whole body tense, and his arm still wrapped tightly around his wife as if she were the only thing anchoring him to the spot. He pulled her closer, trying to reign in his frustration. Killian didn't have to wonder at what he was thinking or feeling; he had been there often enough himself. Emma's stubborn nature was often beyond endurance.

Sniffling, Mary Margaret looked up at her husband, and tried to voice her fears. "David, we failed. Again. And I don't know if I can keep doing this. It seems like every time we make any progress, she just slips further away. What kind of parents are we?" She lifted Neal closer as if worried he, too, would turn away from her love.

"That's not true and you know it. You are a wonderful parent. Emma's just a little bit hard to talk to sometimes." David offered, his voice tight and his blue eyes sullen.

Mary Margaret shook her head and pulled away, taking their son upstairs to try and calm him down. To calm herself. David followed his wife's trail with his eyes, uncertain whether to follow or not.

Unable to help himself, Killian let out a slight snort at his description of his daughter. Emma wasn't hard to talk to, not to him. But he always did love a challenge and Emma was the bloody biggest challenge of his entire life.

"And you?" David fumed, finally noticing the black-clad pirate in the corner of the room, "Suddenly you're afraid to speak your mind? Why didn't you try to stop her? I thought you cared about her?"

Killian growled and glared at David, hot anger radiating from his icy blue eyes. "Mate," he seethed through tightly clenched teeth, "don't ever think for one second I don't care about your daughter. But in case you didn't learn your lesson the last time Emma's powers got away from her, sometimes it's better to let her be." David's jaw clenched at the memory of the falling power line and the unbearable hours of worry after.

Killian, too, vividly remembered Emma's last flight, and shuddered at the way those events played out. She had nearly gotten herself sucked into that damned hat, and the bloody imp had stolen his heart because of it. His body flamed at that memory, but he told himself that now was not the time. The crocodile would pay. Soon. And for now, Emma was safe. At least this time he knew exactly where Emma was and what she was thinking, thanks to their bond. And he knew as well, that she needed to sort this out on her own. When she was ready, she would find them and talk. That was, if he could rid her of this dark magic.

David clearly wasn't ready to hear that yet. He was always the bludgeon-his-way-through kind of person anyway, and just as stubborn as Emma could be. Reeling on him from nowhere, David pushed him in the chest and barked, "You. You are supposed to be in jail."

"What are you going to do, arrest me for standing here, mate?" Killian asked incredulously, his brow raised to his hairline.

David grumbled, tightening his fists into a ball. "No, I already arrested you for drunk and disorderly. Now I'm just finishing the job."

"You really want to take me to jail when your daughter is out there alone?" He yelled, a finger pointing towards the street.

A moment of guilt flared in David's eyes, but his stubbornness forced it away. "Yes. I do. Besides, you said to leave her be, right? That's what I'm doing. I'm going to make sure you don't influence her anymore."

Killian froze in shock. "Wait? You think this is somehow my fault? You think I would ever let Emma become like this? This is a spell of some sort. No doubt the work of dark magic. I told you that something was wrong the day she went missing! Can you not see that this has Gold's slimy scent all over it, Dave?" He was so aghast at David's accusation, he didn't even try to fight back as David pushed him out the door.

In moments, they were at David's truck, his eyes never once looking at him. Killian tried to remain calm, tried to tell himself that David was just upset about Emma, but he was starting to resent the way David's true feelings about him came out when he was angry. "Come on, pirate. I don't care if you think this is Gold's fault or not. Maybe it is, but I still have a job to do, and if I can't protect my daughter, then I'm going to protect the people of this town. Now get in the car!"

Killian raised a brow, looking the sheriff up and down. With a little smirk, he replied coldly, "As you wish," and spun on his heel. David followed behind, pushing him forward, just to the edge of the car.

"So I'm back to being a pirate, then? Eh, mate," Killian asked coldly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, at least now I won't feel so bad when I do this—" With a powerful stroke, Killian swung back his elbow high enough to knock David in the nose. Twirling around, he followed his punch with another using his heavy cuff, right on the jaw of the dazed prince, knocking him out cold.

Killian wasted no time searching through David's pockets for his metal namesake, finding it quickly inside his jacket. With a little triumphant chuckle, Killian, no…Hook, attached the weapon back on his brace. "'Pologies, Mate, but you have something of mine. Again." His own words echoing back to him.

He spared only a second for the man passed out at his feet, the guilt fighting to get out. Sighing, he reached down and patted the prince's shoulder. "Sorry, Dave, but you were asking for it. Don't worry. As soon as I kill the crocodile, Emma will return to you." He looked away, suddenly unable to stomach the trickle of blood on David's face. In a pained voice, Hook added, "I can only hope you'll be able to forgive me one day."

…..

The orb was darkening at a rate that surprised him. He had thought it would take much longer for Miss Swan to succumb, especially do to her extremely contrary nature. He tittered a bit to himself, pleased with how well things were going. Soon can't come soon enough.

"What are you so happy about? Did you finally manage to find an Armani suit in a kid's size?" Cruella lifted her chin and smirked.

The other two women in the room looked up from the orb to see what Cruella was talking about. Gold suddenly felt his anger rise.

"Cruella, I had nearly forgotten you were here until I heard the sound of destitution and two-dollar gin. How's bankruptcy treating you these days?" Gold sneered, his eyes flashing with cruel merriment.

Ursula sighed and rolled her eyes. "Children, can we not?"

Maleficent agreed with a nod towards the sea witch. "Agreed. We do have work to do, you know." With a shrug she waved her hands towards the doorway. "Unless you would prefer to continue your taunts elsewhere and let the real sorcerers in the room show you how it's done."

Gold grinned menacingly at Maleficent and tapped his cane against the floor. "Dearie, the real sorcerer is already in charge. However, you are correct. There is still much work to be done. Ursula, you have succeeded on getting Emma to trust you, but now, you must convince her to branch out, explore her dark side, if you will."

"What do you want me to do?" Ursula asked with concern. Gold had to admit that of all the ladies present, Ursula was the only one who responded well to his direction. A true professional, as a goddess must be. In a way, he admired that about her.

Always cynicism aside, he replied, "She's had a taste of her power, but she hasn't fully committed to it. She needs to be pushed away from the heroes, from her family and those that love her. She needs to see just how wrong she has been about them all this time."

"For that, you'll need me," Maleficent interrupted, surprising everyone, as she walked to the center of the group. The light from the orb cast mottled shadows across her face, causing her eyes to look more dragon-like then ever. "There's a juicy bit of gossip about her parents I've been just dying to share. I have a feeling once she knows just what her so-called 'charming' family has done, she'll be jumping aboard the villain train in no time."

Gold smiled at this, his golden tooth revealed. He knew Maleficent had a past with Snow and Charming, but he never did learn the details. But the way she talked about them with murder in her eyes, he knew the Black Fairy would stop at nothing for her revenge. "Very well. When Emma comes back, you should introduce yourselves to her. Tread carefully. The darkness may be taking hold, but that doesn't mean she will automatically trust you. We cannot afford any setbacks." With that, Gold disappeared, taking the crystal orb with him back to his hidden cabin once more.

Upon arrival, he produced the sphere and set it floating in the air, always watching the interplay of opposing colors, drawn to its contradictory beauty. The white clouds were no match for the hungry black, and yet they continued to fight back. The eternal struggle of good and evil in the most fascinating of ballets.

Perhaps it was time to check up on his lovely Belle. To see her once more to remind himself why he was so desperate to corrupt a soul like Miss Swan's. His chest ached at the thought, but he easily tamped it down.

He would do anything to make Belle his again. Anything. And once he rewrote his story, he knew Belle would forgive him for all that he was about to do. She wouldn't even know. They could start over again. Belle and Bae, together as they should have been. And no 'heroes' would ever get in his way again.

...

Next: Henry feels, Regina feels, lots of feels all around. Team Hero gets together and tries to figure out what to do about Emma.