A/N- sorry it took so long for an update, but this was a really dialogue heavy chapter with lots of Charming/Mills family feels. Hopefully, you will like it. Not much plot action, and a bit shorter than I had wanted, but I think it ends at a good place. Remember, it is now only loosely associated with canon, although I did try to tie some elements into it.

Reviews are batteries! They keep us going (and going and going...Ha! I am so not funny).

Anyway, thank you so much for reading.

…..

CHAPTER 8

David awoke dizzy and sore, wondering for a moment what had happened. And then it all came back to him. Hook had knocked him out. Emma had run away. Everything was just going wrong. Pulling himself up using the side of his truck, David took a minute to allow himself to feel all the grief he had been denying in front of Mary Margaret. Palms splayed against the cool metal, David tucked his head between his arms and let his emotions go. The tears came hard and fast. He cried for his wife, who had thought she was finally getting the relationship with her daughter she had dreamt of. He cried for Henry, who was caught once more in the crossfire of a magical struggle. He even cried for Killian, a man who had spent so long in darkness he never seemed to be able to rid himself from it no matter how much he tried.

But mostly, he wept for his daughter. His beautiful, headstrong, wonderful daughter, who had always been a source of love and light in his own life, now fighting against the temptation to darkness that using magic brings. And there wasn't anything he could say or do to help. Emma didn't even have a choice. He knew the moment Killian had voiced it, that he was right—Emma was under some sort of a curse. She had to be. What else could make her eyes turn color, make her words so harsh and cold? Damn that pirate for being right!

David heaved a last heavy sigh. No, this wasn't Killian's fault and he had let his own hurt and anger cloud his perceptions. He was wrong to call him a pirate, to assume the worst of the man who had gone to extraordinary lengths to prove himself worthy. Oh, he would pay for knocking him out, David chuckled at the thought, but it wasn't as important as protecting his daughter's heart. After all, if it had been him in that position, he would have done the same thing. And David knew one thing for certain, no one loved his daughter more than the pirate.

Still, David was worried about Killian. True, he didn't have the best record for making smart decisions, but bar fights, knocking him out and escaping to go after Gold again… Something was really off about him.

He scrubbed his eyes, wincing as he touched the bruise on his cheek where Killian had socked him with his elbow. He needed to be strong now, for his wife, son, and daughter, because he had a feeling this was just the beginning.

"Henry?" Regina called, watching her son flip the pages of the book with such a sad expression she couldn't help but notice. "Is something wrong? I know you want to help find the author, but you don't need to let it bother you so much."

Henry sighed, clearly struggling with what he wanted to say. "It's not that…I've just been worried."

"Worried? About what?"

Henry closed the book, resting his hands and head on top of it. "My mom. She's been acting really strange and I told Killian and he said he would help, but then, he was sort of acting weird too, and I…" he took a long breath, letting it out slowly. "I don't know what to do."

Regina's heart ached for her son. Clearly he was tormented. "Henry, tell me exactly what happened."

Henry looked up, his eyes warming at the sight of her genuine concern. He began to tell her all the things he had noticed about Emma and Killian's behavior. When he was done talking, he added, "I don't know. I mean, I always feel like you should trust you gut or whatever, but I kinda wonder if I'm just making a big deal of nothing."

Tightening her jaw, Regina knelt down so that she could look at her son squarely. "Henry, never, ever doubt yourself when it comes to helping people you care about. It is one of the things I admire most about you." His eyes widened. Regina could feel the tears threatening, so she pushed forward. "I know that I've never really said it, but you are my hero, Henry. And if you say there is something wrong, then I believe you. I will always believe you."

Henry started to blink rapidly as his eyes welled up. Relief shown from his face as he launched himself at his mother, tackling her in a firm hug. Regina squeezed back in amazement, wondering for the millionth time how she had ever gotten so lucky. She could hear him whispering 'thank you' into her shoulder, and she sagged against him. Pulling back, she quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks and steadied her own emotions. "Okay…let's fix this."

Henry nodded and drew himself up. "I love you, mom," he said suddenly, nearly stealing her breath away.

"And I you, Henry," Regina answered with an affectionate smile. Maybe this is all I need for my happy ending after all.

"So, wh—" Henry started when he was interrupted by a knock at the front door. A rather loud, insistent knock.

"Hang on," Regina said, straightening her shirt and swiping away any lingering wetness from her eyes. She might show vulnerability in front of her son, but she was not ready to show it to anyone else.

With a huff, she flung open her door only to be greeted by the Prince and Snow.

"Regina!" Mary Margaret cried, her eyes red-rimmed and face puffy. "We need your help."

"Of course," Regina scoffed, opening the door for them and shrugging, "What else is new?"

Before entering though, David lowered his voice and asked, "Is Henry here?"

Regina narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course he is," she answered slowly. "Why?"

"It's Emma. There's something wrong with her," he said with a heavy sigh.

Regina cast a look over her shoulder, back at her son. He had been right after all, but that could only mean he was in for yet another heartbreak. She looked at the weary, worried faces of Snow and David and nodded. "Henry's been saying the same thing. You'd better come in and tell me what is going on."

It didn't take long for the entire tale to come out. Henry explained to everyone what he had seen and his grandparents backed it up with their own version of events. Regina took it all in, feeling particularly disturbed by the news that Ursula was now involved. Just one more villain to add to an ever-growing list. And while it was true that her and Emma had never been close, exactly, she knew enough to know that Emma would never, ever behave in that manner of her own accord. The description of the way her magic had changed only furthered her conclusion that it had to be some sort of curse. However, she would need more to be able to figure out exactly what had happened to Emma to turn her against her family.

"And what about Killian," Henry asked suddenly during a lull in the conversation. "He wasn't acting like himself, either."

That was at least somewhat easier to explain. "I think it has to do with Emma's bonding spell."

"Her what?" Henry asked.

Snow and David's eyes grew wide in sudden understanding. "You mean whatever is affecting our daughter is also affecting him because they share a connection?"

Regina crossed her arms, thinking rapidly, "Yes. Whatever she feels, he does, too. It only stands to follow if she is under some sort of dark curse, he would be affected by it as well."

Her son watched with growing horror in his eyes. "Does that mean he'll go back to being Hook again?"

"Possibly," she answered honestly, sorry to see the disappointment in his eyes. Regina turned back to David and Snow, "We should keep an eye on him for now so that he doesn't get up to his old antics."

"Um, that might not be possible," David added sheepishly, rubbing his sore jaw. "He sort of knocked me out when I was trying to arrest him for starting a bar fight. I have no idea where he is now. I called Ruby, but she said he hasn't been back to his room. With the Jolly gone, he could be just about anywhere."

"You lost the pirate? Why am I not surprised?" Regina scoffed.

Cutting off a disgruntled looking David, Mary Margaret said, "Didn't he say he blamed Gold for all this? Maybe we should check in on Belle and make sure he doesn't try to use her to get to him."

"That's a good idea. I think we could use her for this anyway." Regina agreed.

Mary Margaret smiled for the first time since the conversation began. Her worry for her daughter had clearly taken its toll, but her relief at having someone willing to help was clearly evident. "Regina, why don't you call her and have her come over? I'm going to call Granny and check on Neal. Then we figure out exactly what has happened to my daughter."
….

An hour later, the sky was darkening and everyone had gathered in Regina's living room. Snow, Regina, and Belle were looking over all the books Belle had brought with her about dark curses and David and Will were coordinating yet another search party with the merry men and dwarves. Henry remained off to the side, watching his family come together once more in yet another crisis. He only wished this one wasn't caused by his mom.

He felt a bit useless. This wasn't like before, he couldn't just do the true love's kiss thing with her again and make everything better, could he? Henry knew Emma was strong, that she would fight this with everything she had, and that she would find a way to come back. He believed that with all his heart. So as worried as he was for her, he wasn't really afraid. However, now Killian was cursed too. He hadn't realized until today just how much the pirate had come to mean to him. When he heard his mom confirm that Killian might be returning to his former villainous ways, he felt like his world had been crushed. He couldn't lose him, and Henry knew his mom needed Killian, too.

Henry desperately wanted to help, but he had no idea where to even begin. His mom and Killian were both missing. Regina had no idea what might kind of curse this was or how to stop it, and there were new villains in town. Why were there new villains? That was a question that kept nagging at him. It couldn't be a coincidence, he didn't believe anything that happen in Storybrooke was ever a coincidence. Regina had told him something when they were starting Operation Mongoose about How Mr. Gold had been looking for his happy ending, too. Henry glanced down at the book next to him on the sofa. Could all this have something to do with the book and the Author? His mom had kept saying villains don't get happy endings, maybe the villains had figured out a way to change their stories using Emma's magic.

Henry couldn't explain it, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Trusting your gut, works every time, Henry thought giddily. Suddenly, he was bursting with the need to share his conclusions. "Hey guys!" He shouted, causing every adult in the room to literally freeze their actions. If the situation hadn't been so grave, he would have laughed at them.

"Henry?" Regina asked from her spot at the table.

"I think I might have an idea. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out." He paused looking around to make sure everyone was listening. Surprisingly, they all seemed like they were eager to hear what he had to say. Their faith in him made him a bit nervous. It wasn't that long ago when no one ever believed a word he said, and now…

Henry took a breath and continued. "Okay, so you know how I'm trying to help my mom find the Author?" Regina raised her eyebrows at this, but everyone else just nodded. "Um, well, I was thinking… there are all these new villains in town, right? So why are they here now? I don't think it's a coincidence. I think Killian was probably right, and Mr. Gold is behind it. I think he is trying to change the ending to his story and he's using Emma's magic to do it. Maybe Ursula is working with Mr. Gold and Maleficent and they are here to try to find the Author or something."

"You think the villains are teaming up to rewrite the book so that they can get their happy endings?" Regina asked.

Henry nodded.

There was a mutual shared silence as his words fell over the room. Suddenly, Belle practically jumped up from her chair and shouted, "Henry! That's it!" She scattered through the books and papers searching quickly for a particular tome. Grabbing it out from the bottom of a stack of ancient, leather-bound manuscript, Regina's face lit up. "Here, this might be what we are looking for." She opened it up and began to translate, "If a sorcerer can collect enough dark magic, he or she can alter any magic cast previously. All one would need would be a special type of crystal ball that can harness dark energy, and blood from a practitioner of the darkest of magics."

"But Emma's magic is light magic. She doesn't have dark magic," David supplied.

"The Chernabog! It only goes after those with the potential for the darkest of magic. You said after its control was broken, it went for Emma." Belle added, her chin raised in confidence.

Regina jumped in, catching on to what Belle was saying quickly. "One thing I learned long ago was that when you have great power inside you, you can use it either way. Emma has always used her power for good, but her magic is so strong, it's little wonder it has attracted the attention of every villain out there. Hell, I've even felt the pull."

"Wait, what?" Asked a shocked Mary Margaret.

"What?" Regina shrugged.

David harrumphed and raised his voice. "Nevermind. Look, what can we do about this? If she is cursed or whatever, how to we break it? True love's kiss?" He had to stop himself from grimacing at the thought of Hook and his daughter sharing that kind of kiss, but deep down, he knew their connection went beyond normal love.

Regina rolled her eyes with a flourish of her hands. "Well Prince Clueless, that would be fantastic if her pirate boyfriend wasn't also under the same curse." Her voice became suddenly serious as a passing thought crossed her brow. "Really, I'm not sure if this is a typical curse. Infecting someone with dark magic? I don't know what could do that. It would take more power to enact than even Rumpelstiltskin possess alone."

Henry jumped in excitedly, nearly shouting, "But he's not alone! That's the point. Maybe that's how he did it. Working with other villains. We don't even know how many people might be in on this thing. What if there are more villains involved than the three we know? There could be a whole league of evil right under our noses!"

Mary Margaret's face blanched. "How do we find any of them? Belle, do you have any idea where Rumple might be hiding? Anything at all?"

Belle shivered and was slow to answer, looking first to Will for strength. "No, I obviously was never privy to all of Rumple's secrets. And we've had people check all the places I could think of, but he's clever. He'll find a way to hide until he's ready. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be." She bit her bottom lip and sighed. "But maybe I could draw him out."

"No, it's too dangerous!" Will and Mary Margaret exclaimed at the exact same time.

Belle shook her head sadly. "Rumple won't hurt me. He may be cruel and evil, but I know deep down he still loves me. I'm not afraid of him."

David crossed the room, standing just next to Belle. He gave her a look of understanding but he still looked wary. "I think you might be right, but actually it isn't him I'd be worried about. It's Hook."

"What do you mean?" Belle frowned.

Regina crossed over to where David was and placed a hand on Belle's shoulder. "If Killian has gone dark with Emma, and he's after Gold again, then who knows what he might do to get to him. Last time that happened you got shot and luckily Gold was there to heal your wound, but this time—"

Belle reeled back in shock, throwing Regina off. "Wait a minute! Did you say Killian's going after Rumple?"

"Yes, that's what he said," David answered, looking at her with confusion.

"Oh my god. No…" Belle cried, covering her mouth with her hands. Her face had lost all its color and it was clear she was extremely distressed.

"Belle, what is it?" Mary Margaret asked.

Looking up at them, all of them, they're faces so concerned for her, she started to tremble. Quietly, almost a whisper, she said, "The dagger. I gave Killian the dagger. I couldn't take the responsibility of it anymore and I really thought he had changed and…" She was looking at Regina now, pleading with her of all people to understand the gravity of the situation.

Apparently it was lost on David. "You think he might kill Gold?"

But Regina had understood from the start. She now shared Belle's look of horror. "No, you don't understand…" she corrected. "Whoever kills the Dark One with that dagger becomes the next Dark One themselves. Don't you see… this just went from bad to apocalyptic."

"Oh god." Mary Margaret squeaked.

"And if Emma gets her hands on that dagger…" Regina added. The room fell utterly silent, everyone drawing identical conclusions. Emma was cursed. She was doing things she normally would never do. Did that mean she was capable of killing someone? Did that mean she would be capable of killing Gold?

David was the first to respond. "We have to stop Hook! We have to get that dagger back!"

Regina sighed heavily, knowing there was no way any one would support her next statement. "Yeah, well, Hook's just as crafty as Rumple. Belle, this is going to fall on you. With Emma off the table, she is the only one who can draw either one out." As expected, Mary Margaret, David, and Will all protested. However Belle was in agreement.

"We just need to make sure she's protected at all times," Regina offered.

"I'll do it." Came a serious, thickly accented voice.

"Will, no," Belle replied, offering him a tense smile.

But Will set his jaw and looked her square in the eye. "Look, if someone's coming to harm yah, I'm going to be there to kick their arse."

Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Nice sentiment, but Eyebrows isn't going to be enough. This is going to take magic. And a plan. And quite frankly, I'm too damn exhausted to do either. We all need to rest and refocus. If we make a wrong move here, we could not only jeopardize Emma, we could jeopardize the whole town. It's like playing Jenga with dynamite."

Surprising everyone, David was the first to speak. "I agree, Regina. Let's all just take a moment to think this through. I'll keep the patrols going and field the calls, you all go get some sleep. For now, though, it may be for the best if we all just stay here tonight, if that's okay?" Regina shrugged but nodded. David continued, directing the group like the leader he was. "And if I hear anything, I'll be sure to let you all know." He took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. He shot a tender look over to his wife and continued, "We're going to have to be on our guard and ready at all times, so I say we should take the chance to rest while we can. It's been an emotional day for all of us, and Emma and Hook need us to be our best selves. One mistake and we could lose them." His face fell, the toll of stress finally breaking him down. Mary Margaret rushed to his side, tears in her eyes as well.

Henry could sense just how worried everyone was. He was, too. Probably more than he had ever been. But Henry wasn't the Truest Believer for nothing. He had faith that love and goodness would win. It always had before. He couldn't let them forget that. He stepped out from behind Mary Margaret, speaking now to the assembled group. "You know, we're kind of a superhero team. I think this calls for a new code name. How about…Operation Captain Swan."

Sensing that her son was trying to keep up everyone's spirits, Regina pushed away her own worries and played along. "Ugh, really?"

Belle sensed it too. "Yeah, Henry, sounds a bit obvious. Let's just call it… Operation Lighthouse."

"Lighthouse?" Henry scoffed.

David cleared his throat, standing taller than he had all day. His grandson's unwavering optimism could do that. "Yeah, because we are the light in the darkness for Emma to come home to. A beacon of hope in the middle of the storm."

Henry shot him a grateful thousand-megawatt smile. "Okay. Yeah! Sounds perfect. Go Operation Lighthouse and Team Hero!"

…..

Bright and early the next morning, Henry awoke. His sleep had been deep but full of nightmare scenarios involving his mom. As he made his way downstairs for some breakfast, he could hear soft talking coming from the kitchen and he paused at the door to listen. Spying on people was starting to become a very bad habit, and he wondered briefly if Killian's influence wasn't starting to rub off on him.

It was his mom and grandmother talking. Mary Margaret sounded really upset, but she was keeping her voice low. Henry wished he could see them as well as hear them, but he cupped his ear to hear better and was quickly absorbed into the private conversation.

"Regina, what if this doesn't work? What if she never comes back from this?" His grandmother asked.

"I came back," Regina replied.

Mary Margaret paused, a hitch in her breath. "Yeah, but you weren't cursed. You made bad choices, but they were yours to make. This is different."

"I know, but I think a part of her is still there. I think we can use it to get through to her."

"How? Regina, she doesn't even want to talk to me or David right now. Oh god, what if she goes too far? What if she kills someone? Or kills Gold and becomes the new Dark One. Then, even if we break the curse on her, she'll never get over that!"

Henry could hear the scrape of the kitchen chair as Regina scooted closer to Mary Margaret. "Snow, the one thing I've learned from you is that it's never too late when love is involved. Would you forgive her for what she's done? Even if she does something unforgivable? Would you still love her?"

Mary Margaret's voice rose in pitch. "Of course! I will always love her no matter what. Besides, she's under a curse and not responsible for her actions."

Henry could practically see the eye roll in his mom's voice. "See, if you can forgive her, she can forgive you, too. Sure it might take time, but she'll get there. I did. And I know we'll be able to stop her before does anything permanent."

"I hope your right, but I'd really rather never test that theory." His grandmother trailed off, clearly upset by something else. "Regina…there's something else. Something that has been killing me since this whole thing started."

"What is it?"

"I…" Henry heard Mary Margaret sniffling, her voice anguished. "It's about Maleficent. It's about something I did. And now, if Emma's with her, I'm terrified she'll find out. And I don't know if Emma will ever forgive me for it."

"Snow?" Regina asked. Henry couldn't remember the last time his mom had sounded so truly worried. Whatever was going on must be really bad.

Just barely audible, Mary Margaret replied, "Regina, you asked me to keep a secret once, and I failed and it caused so much pain… but I'm begging you to keep a secret for me."

"What is it, Snow? What could be so bad that Emma would turn against you?"

Another long pause, as if she was trying to figure out how to say the words. "Maleficent. Because of me, she lost her child."

"What?" Regina gasped.

Henry could hear the pain in Mary Margaret's voice, how her words could barely come out because she was crying so hard. He shifted uncomfortably against the door, hoping he didn't make a noise they could hear. Luckily, the conversation kept going. "I can't… it's too hard to talk about. All I can tell you is that I did something terrible in order to keep Emma from becoming evil. And I know that Maleficent won't hesitate to use that information against me. What if that's what sends her over the edge? What if because of something I did, I lose my daughter to the darkness?"

"Snow, shhh. Stop that. What do you always say to me? You say to have hope. Well, I'm telling you now, you need to keep believing that. I've known Emma for some time now, and I know how much she loves you and David. And I know that she can and will forgive you. But you need to tell her. Before Maleficent does."

"How? It's not possible, I don't even know where my own daughter is."

His mom's voice came out as sincere as Henry had ever heard it. Not one trace of the Evil Queen at all. "You're right. Maybe not. But you two had better start being honest with her. About everything. I know you can't understand what it is like to have magic, but you know what darkness does to a person. And you know how to come back from it."

Then, her tone hardened with a sudden resolve. "Snow, I'm going to tell you the truth. One of the things that really drives me nuts about you is you're inability to compromise. It's always black and white with you. Good and evil are always two separate entities. But that's not how it always works. Ever since she arrived here, Emma's been told she's the Savior. There's a lot of expectation to live up to with that title. I think she is terrified of letting people down should she make the wrong choices. I know Emma well enough by now to know that her biggest fears revolve around disappointing the people she cares about and them leaving her. And you and Charming keep telling her she should always do the right thing, the good thing. But, damn it, Snow, it's not always that simple! Our choices aren't always so clear cut."

"But Regina…" Mary Margaret rebuffed.

Regina growled, "No, Snow. You've done bad things in the name of doing good. Stop pretending to be so high and mighty about making the right choices all the time! You've tried so hard to protect her from evil, you've forgotten that she is only human. Everyone has the both good and evil inside them. And sometimes people just make the wrong choice. Does that make them a villain?"

Henry wondered if maybe his mom wasn't speaking about Emma anymore. She sounded as if she was referring to herself. Henry knew his mom struggled with making good choices, but she had been doing better lately. Well, until Robin left and then she sort of got all melancholy. He'd been secretly worried that she might slip up if she got any more setbacks. It was one of the reasons he was helping to find the Author. It seemed to give her hope.

"I do not pressure her about her choices!" Mary Margaret cried, clearly affronted.

"You do!" Regina stressed, "And Emma is running from this impossibly high standard you've set as much as anything. This curse will latch onto all her insecurities and infinitely play upon them." She stopped abruptly, as if catching her thoughts before they could slip away. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, more unsteady. "We've all treated her like her only job was to make us all happy. Even me."

Henry could hear Mary Margaret's quick intake of breath at his mom's admission. "And it should have been our job to support her, not just to protect her from all the evil in the world. Oh, Regina! What have we done?" She was crying again, and it took all of Henry's will power not to rush in there and console her. But this was too important. Not just for him, but for the two women he knew shared such a troubled past.

There was a long silence and Henry thought the conversation must have come to an end. He wondered if now would be a good time to pretend he hadn't heard a thing and pop in to the kitchen. Then, suddenly, he heard his mom say, "Snow, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so critical. If anything, you should have been yelling at me."

"You? Why?"

"Because all of this was my fault!" Regina admitted with a loud sigh.

Henry was positive his grandmother must be sitting there with an open mouth. "Regina…are you actually admitting to being at fault for something? Did you get hit with a curse, too?"

"Oh...shut it, Snow," Regina snapped, but Henry could hear the tease in her voice.

Mary Margaret instantly replied with a very grateful, "Thank you, Regina."

"Yeah, well. Don't get used to it," Regina grumbled.

...

Next: Emma goes back to the QOD and learns what it's like to embrace the darkness. Killian returns to some of his former ways. Gold gets a surprise he wasn't quite expecting.