Nothing but the sound of David's heavy breathing penetrated the chilly night air. The famous fairytale couple was alone, sitting side by side on the hood of David's pickup truck, looking anywhere but at each other. Snow choked back tears for the uptenth time that night, and David focused on a hawk nesting in the branches far above them. In his lap lay the Dark One's dagger.
The dagger emblazed in that mentallic lettering, the name of their daughter.
Emma Swan.
Emma.
Emma.
His fingers curled tightly into the rigged handle. Despite it having no physical power over them, the dagger felt heavy, wrong, unatural.
Dark.
The leash to the current occupant of the foulest, darkest magic in all the realms. That same darkness that was now within their daughter. Their daughter, who was the new and current Dark One.
David shuddered violently, jumped off the hood of the truck, made a headlong dash for the bushes and retched for a few moments. He doubled over the knees, gagging up his supper from Granny's, until his stomach was empty and sore. He felt another wave hit, but it was only dry heaving.
"Charming..."
Snow was beside him. A soothing hand on his back, rubbing in slow circles, murmuring soothing no nonsense words. He stood on shaky legs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, still pale. Snow handed him a bottle of water, she's snagged from the truck's cabin, and David greedily drank a few mouthfuls of the precious liquid, before rinsing and spitting.
"David...do you... feel better?" Snow asked, her hand reaching to fold perfectly into his, to give him strength.
"No." David whispered back, his voice hollow. He took a stumbling step back towards their truck, the dagger laying harmlessly on the hood.
Their daughter's dagger.
"This is wrong Snow. I...what if...we summon... her...and she's not herself? Or in pain? Or? Or-"
"I've been asking myself the same question. The same endless, countless questions about all of this!" Snow agreed, fresh tears in her eyes. "I'm scared, you, Henry, Killian, Regina, everyone. But we owe this to Emma. We owe it to her that while right now she's cursed and the darkness has her, you can bet like hell we're all going to fight for her!"
David felt a ghost of a smile cross his lips. He wrapped an arm around Snow, drawing her close, and giving her a kiss.
"You're right. Remember after we...cursed Lily? We promised to be our best selves, and now Emma needs us to be strong for her. To free her, as heroes."
"I know." Snow murmured against his coat. The couple had returned to the car, and Snow had taken up the dagger. Holding it up in the moonlight, a choked back sob, seeing Emma's name on the silver steel.
"We do this together. As we've always done." David said in a reasurring tone, voice quavering.
"Mmm." Snow said, eyes still latched on to the cursed magical knife. With a trembling hand, Snow held out the dagger. A moment later, she felt David's hands comforting her. One resting on the small of her back, the other gently enclosing over her own hand that held the dagger aloft.
"D...Dark One..." Snow's voice caught momentarily. "Dark One, I summon thee!"
They had chosen the deepest part of the woods for this. If Emma wasn't herself, or would lose control, Storybrooke didn't need to suffer. Tomorrow morning they would drop the news on the town, and begin to make preparations for Emma's return.
They just had a feeling, that Emma would return. Just not in a way of them wanted to.
"Nothing?" David looked around for a moment, eyes taking in every branch and leaf in the woods. "Snow-"
The air grew cold seconds later. Not cold, but...evil. In the moments before Emma's sacrifice, the darkness was all around them. Encasing them in a tiny space of fear and regret. The branches whipped wildly for a moment, ice snaked through Snow's veins as the very shadows seemed to take life of their own and shift.
"Mom...dad?"
Snow and David looked up unexpectedly startled. About ten feet away, stood their daughter, staring at them.
Emma. The Dark One.
She looked like herself...yet... not herself. There was a desperation in her tear stained eyes, a forbidden hunger lurking in those formerly green irisis. She took a shaky step forward, her eyes darting towards the dagger, held in unison by her parents.
"Emma!"
Snow's motherly instincts kicked in, and she forgot everything. The dagger landed with a soft thud at her feet, and David bent to pick it up. The former bandit princess only had eyes for her daughter now, despite Emma cursed with nigh infathonable dark power.
"Mom...don't...come near me..." Emma shakily took a step back, her fists trembling in reminisant of her powers going out of control when Ingrid was in town.
"I love you Emma." Snow said.
"I know...but...I'm not myself... please go!" Emma was begging.
"We'll help you." Snow soothed, reaching out a hand.
"I SAID GO!"
Emma's power exploded into a vibrant dark aura that sent Snow flying back. David reached out, but his wife's full body weight sent them both sprawling into the densely covered thicket a few feet behind them. The pulsating flash ended, and Emma was on her knees, arms wrapped tightly over her stomach.
"Emma!"
Snow and David fought to untangle themselves, rushing to her side. Emma's frantic, worried filled eyes were glazed with darkness, something animalistic behind them.
"Mom...dad...please...I can't...hold it back..."
A piercing scream tore through her. David placed a hand on her shoulder. Snow gently took Emma's face into her hands.
"Emma. Fight it. Please. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry honey."
Tears were flowing down her parents faces now. Nothing could be done, not yet anyways. Emma looked up at them, still struggling.
"I love you both so much- Ugh!" another pain shot through her. She regained control momentarily, resting her forehead against her mother's breast.
"Voices." Emma whimpered. "So many voices. All dark ones. In my head. Calling to me..." her hand shot out, clamping down deeply into Snow's wrist. Emma's eyes shot to the dagger in David's hands.
"Give it to me." she demanded darkly.
"Emma. We can't." David said, remorse and anguish dripping. He felt so helpless as did Snow at this moment.
Emma clamped wrist suddenly thrust deep into Snow's chest, squeezing her heart.
Both Snow and David buckled underneath the horrible strain exploding through both of them.
"So that's the having the whole half a heart bit..." Emma sneered. Her vice like fingers curled over the beating half in her mother's chest- rip it out- crush it-
"Dark One begone!"
David held the dagger out in front of him as though it were his sword. Emma screamed, flung back by the power of her father's command, releasing her hold on Snow's heart, and by extension, both of them.
Gasping for breath, Snow got to her feet with the help of David's strong arms pulling her up. Emma had recovered from her father's blow, and was seething at them, eyes blazing a furious gold, mouth pulled back in a snarl.
"You made a dangerous mistake, shepard." Emma snapped looking murderous.
Snow and David stood side by side helpless. Their daughter was slipping away, revealing the monster within.
"Emma. I promise you, we will free you." Snow said tearfully.
Emma growled, crouched, and prepared to attack. David, tears running down his face held the dagger up again.
"Begone to whence you came!" he said, his voice full of regret.
Emma turned her head curiously, looking at them as specimens instead of her parents before vanishing in a cloud of pitch black smoke.
Once they were sure she was gone, Snow collapsed into a puddle of pent up tears. David joined her, kneeling on the forest floor, holding her tight, the dagger wedged between them.
All they could do at this point was cry.