Here's a chapter for you all. there is only a couple more chapters left of this story so I may post them sooner than I have been as I have one chapter and another half chapter written. How have we been enjoying the new season of once? I have been enjoying it so much. Dark Swan is awesome!
Regina now found herself in a dark and damp dungeon. She had no idea where she was in the town. She grabbed onto the bars of the dungeon and pulled on them. She knew it was useless. She wasn't going to get out but she tried any way. She wasn't quite sure how long she had been in this dungeon. A few hours maybe and she wondered if anyone was looking for her. She had told her mom she was going out to see a friend. Had told her she wouldn't be long.
Regina sighed and she rested her head against the bars. Why was her life spiralling out of control? She was so confused all the time and not to mention feeling awkward around some people now. Especially Henry now that she gained a memory of being Henry's mother. She pushed herself off of the bars and ran her fingers through her hair. "Why did I go to them? Why didn't I just stay at home?" Regina mumbled to herself
"Because you just can't stay away from the darkness dearie." Came Gold's voice from behind her making Regina jump and spin round to look at him.
"I can stay away from the darkness." Regina threw back.
Gold chuckled as he walked towards the dungeon. He leaned on the bars and stared at Regina making her feel very uneasy. "The darkness wants you Regina and it will have you."
"What are you going to do to me? My mother and father won't let you do anything to me." Regina said.
"You think those Charmings will be able to stop me? If you really have been having those memories then you will know just how pitiful they are. Don't you remember hating them Regina? Trying to kill Snow White …Cursing the whole place…Those were the days weren't they…"
"Stop!" Regina shouted her hands in her hair. She didn't want to think about all that. She didn't want to think about the horrible things she had done. She wasn't that person anymore. Not now. "I'm not like that anymore. I wouldn't do anything like that now."
"Oh but Regina you shall." Gold smirked.
"You can't make me!"
"I can, and I will. You owe me a favour Regina. You made the deal with me…"
"I didn't know what you were really like when I made that deal. I thought you were going to help me!" Regina muttered.
"I am sure your dear saviour 'sister' Emma warned you did she not…warned you not to trust me…but Regina knows best doesn't she?" He smirked. "No matter you played right into my hands and so did your parents. I knew they would want you to wear that cuff and I knew you wouldn't like it. I knew you would come crawling back to me asking for my help and in return you would later owe me. I have waited for all this for sixteen years. From the moment I gave Cora that wishing stone and killed her…"
"You planned all this? You planned to do all this?" Regina asked.
"Of course dearie. I knew with Cora having her heart back in she would wish for you to have a better life and I knew the Charmings would need to raise you…it was all so predictable. You would be raise with an innocence that you never had before and that innocence I would use to my full potential."
"Why? What do you need me for?" Regina asked firmly.
"I am not a well man Regina…this darkness in me…well let's just say my heart won't take much more of it. It was told to me sixteen years ago that I would need to find someone to pass my darkness off to in order to heal my heart. So voila I picked you Regina…You are the special girl who will take the darkness from me…"
"I don't want your darkness. I am not going to turn dark again. My mother died and wished for me to have a better life. I won't let you ruin that." Regina said.
"Don't you see Regina? You don't have a choice. Once this darkness goes into you…you won't be able to fight it. It will take over you. And with this…" Gold said holding up the dark ones dagger. "I will still be fully in control. I will be ultimately powerful because I will be able to control you and make you do whatever I want. It's a win, win for me really."
Regina glared at Gold. "My family will find me and they will stop you."
Gold chuckled. "I don't think so." He then wave his hand changing Regina into a long black dress, her hair hanging down around her shoulders and handcuffing her hands to make sure she wouldn't escape. "Now that you are ready I think it is about time we left to start your initiation to the dark side."
David glanced up at the clock and frowned. "Mary-Margaret what time did Regina say she would be back?" David asked.
"She didn't." Mary-Margaret shrugged as she entered the room. She glanced up at the clock. "I suppose she did say she wouldn't be long and that was about five hours ago now."
"I'm gonna try call her. Make sure she is alright." David said grabbing his phone.
The front door opened and slammed just and Mary-Margaret quickly left the living room to see if it was Regina. She sighed as she saw Emma and Henry. She turned back to go into the living room. "Nice to see you too." Emma laughed a little at Mary-Margaret's reaction.
"I'm sorry Emma. I just thought you were Regina. She went out earlier and said she wouldn't be long but she has been away for a while." Mary-Margaret said.
"Right…Well I haven't seen her around in town and I have been just about everywhere today." Emma said. "Have you Hen?"
Henry shook his head. "Nope, not seen her since she came back here."
David frowned and pressed the call button on his phone again. "It's just going straight to answer phone. She's not picking up."
"You don't think something bad has happened do you?" Mary-Margaret asked.
"I'm sure she's okay…" Emma started.
There was a knock at the door and all four adults looked at one another with a confused frown. Hardly anyone knocked at their door and they knew it wouldn't have been Regina. "I'll go get it." Henry said. He turned on his heel and went to answer the door. As he opened it he revealed Robin stood outside. "Hi Robin…"
"Hi…I was wondering if Regina was here…" Robin said stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Why don't you come in Robin?" Henry said stepping to the side and opening the door a little more for Robin to come into the house. Robin did so and Henry closed the door behind him. "So you haven't seen Regina today then?"
"No…" Robin said shaking his head. "She was suppose to meet me about an hour ago at Grannies but she never turned up. I know that she's had a lot on her mind recently so I thought I'd come here in case she had forgotten…Is she here?"
"No…we're not sure where she has gotten too. Why don't you come into the living room with us?" Henry said motioning for Robin to follow him. Robin did so and they entered into the living room. "Robin's come round to see if Regina is here. He says they were suppose to meet about an hour ago but she never turned up."
"Did you try calling her?" Mary-Margaret asked.
Robin nodded his head. "I think I called her about six times…was waiting outside Grannies but at least half an hour. I know she has been stressed a bit lately but she is never late."
"No she's always one for sticking to her times." Mary-Margaret sighed. "David have you tried her phone again?"
"Yep straight to answer phone again." David sighed.
"That's what it was doing for me earlier too." Robin added in. Just them Maleficent appeared in the middle of the room making all four of the adults and teenager jump.
"Maleficent? What are you doing here?" David asked jumping to his feet getting ready to grab anything to defend himself, Mary-Margaret and Emma if he needed to.
"I have come to warn you…" Maleficent started. "Regina is in trouble."
"Trouble? What kind of trouble? How do you…" Mary-Margaret questioned.
"Gold has been teaching her magic for weeks now…training her I guess…but it is all to fit in with his plan." Maleficent explained.
"What plan?" Emma asked.
"Sixteen years ago Gold was told that he needed to find someone to take in his darkness, if he didn't the darkness would take over his heart and crush it. When Cora had her heart back Gold knew more than anything that she would wish for Regina to have a better life, a life she wished she could have given her…so he gave her the wishing stone and then he killed her. He knew that you two would take pity on Regina and knew you would raise her as your own giving her an innocence that she never had before. She would be the perfect person to take in his darkness when she got her magic. He is going to take her to the well and pull the darkness from himself and put it into Regina." Maleficent explained.
"He is going to make her the dark one? But how?" David asked.
"He has all the tools he needs. The sorcerers hat…the dagger and Regina. The well is the place to do it because there is so much magic still there. It is the centre of magic in Storybrooke." Maleficent said.
"Okay…so how do we stop him? When is this happening?" Robin asked. asked.
"I think it should be happening around now. I'm not quite sure how to stop him but all I know is we need to try. I don't want Regina to be sucked down into the darkness again. She was given a second chance at her life and we can't let Rumplestiltskin ruin this for her." Maleficent said.
"Maleficent is right. We can't let him do this to her. She can't become the dark one." Mary-Margaret said.
"No we can't and we won't. Come on let's go!" Emma said.
Regina was being dragged through the forest, Cruella holding onto one arm and Ursula holding onto the other with Gold limping in front of them. Cruella pulled hard on Regina's arm making her trip a little and fall to the ground scraping her knee, neither woman offering to help her up.
"Clumsy clumsy." Cruella smirked and add a little chuckle at the end.
"You did that on purpose." Regina snapped as she slowly got herself up off the ground. Her hands being bound really didn't help.
"Cruella stop messing about with her. We need to get this done now." Gold said, a hand to his chest. Just by looking at him you could tell he was in some degree of pain.
"Please don't do this." Regina said as Cruella and Ursula grabbed her arms and started to drag her again. Regina could see the well now and she was beginning to get really scared. She had no idea what to expect. She didn't know what was going to happen. Was it going to hurt? How was it going to feel with this darkness in her? "Is there nothing else I can give you to complete the deal?" Regina asked.
"No, there is nothing else I want from you dearie." Gold said as he stopped in front of the well. He motioned to Cruella and Ursula to take Regina over. They did so and looked to Gold. "Tie her to one of the posts. We don't want her getting away now do we?"
Cruella unclasped one of the handcuffs from Regina's hands and Regina took this opportunity to hit Cruella, knocking her to the ground. She darted away from Ursula and knew Gold wouldn't have the strength to catch her so started to run. "Stop her!" Gold shouted. Regina gasped as she felt something strong wrap around her middle and she felt herself being dragged back. She fought against it as much as she could but it was too strong. She looked down and then around to see it was Ursula, one of her tentacles pulling her back to the well.
"Please just let me go. Don't do this." Regina said as she still tried to fight against Ursula.
"Regina as soon as you accept this is going to happen the easier things will be." Gold sighed.
Cruella grabbed Regina's wrist as Ursula put her down. "You little witch." She hissed.
"You're not looking in a mirror Cruella." Regina sassed back.
Cruella lifted her hand up and slapped it hard against Regina's cheek making her fall into the wall of the well with a gasp. She lifted her hand to her now burning cheek, tears in her eyes. She tried hard to fight against them. "Do you really have to harm her Cruella? Just cuff her to the damn well." Gold snapped.
Cruella rolled her eyes and she roughly grabbed Regina's wrists, pulling her up she cuffed her to one of the posts of the well and then she and Ursula stepped back to let Gold do what he needed to do.
Maleficent, Emma, Henry, Robin and he Charmings all ran through the forest heading towards the well. Emma could see through the trees that they were close to Regina and she was about to go and run towards her when Maleficent reached out and used her arm to stop Emma from moving forward. She then motioned for everyone else to stop.
"What the hell are you doing? We need to get to Regina!" Emma hissed.
"Do you really think just running out to Regina will help? Gold will stop you before you get anywhere near, not to mention Cruella and Ursula. We need to think about this." Maleficent sighed.
"Please don't do this." They heard and they all turned round to see Regina pulling at the cuffs around her wrist trying to break away from the well. "Please I'll do anything you want but please don't so this. I don't want to turn dark again." Regina begged pulling at the cuffs. She didn't want to become the dark woman she had seen, the dark woman she had once been.
Gold just ignored her and he placed the sorcerers hat on the ground. Everyone, in the forest and by the well all stood and watched as Gold said some sort of spell and suddenly it started to spin and lights shone out from it. Regina gasped and she pulled even harder on the cuffs. Gold reached into his own chest and pulled out his black heart. Everyone around watched as the light from the hat started to suck out the darkness from Gold's heart. The dagger in Gold's other hand shone a bright yellow light and slowly the name of Rumplestiltskin began to vanish from the blade of the dagger.
The light dimmed out and now Gold's heart was no longer black but a shining white. Gold pushed his heart back into his chest. He fell to his knees, it all becoming too much for him. He was weaker than he first thought he was.
"What happens now? The darkness is in there…" Cruella asked stepping towards Gold.
Gold looked up to Cruella and then to Regina. He smirked a little, the darkness may have been taken out of his heart but there was still a small spec of it there. He moved the dagger over the hat and suddenly it started spinning again. A light shone from it and then a blackness shot out and made its way towards Regina. Regina gasped and it wound its way around her, taking her breath away.
"No!" Emma shouted and she pushed past Maleficent and ran towards Regina, pushing past Cruella and Ursula.
"Emma!" Regina gasped out but the darkness around her slowly sucked out any lightness she had, sucking out her life.
Emma reached out for Regina but the darkness shout her back, shooting her across the forest floor hitting her against a tree. She rubbed at her head and slowly pushed herself up. Maleficent, Henry, Robin and the Charmings all rushed over to Emma and Mary-Margaret helped her up.
"Did you really think that was going to work?" Maleficent asked.
"I had to try. What do we do? We can't let the darkness take her. I won't let that happen to her again." Emma said.
Maleficent looked around them. She needed to figure this out and quick. She didn't want Regina to have to live a life of darkness again. Her eyes landed on the dagger that was lying at Gold's feet. She stepped forward and reached out for the dagger. Gold was about to stop her but she easily deflected him, he was too weak to fight her now. She picked up the dagger and walked towards Regina, stopping Cruella and Ursula from fighting her as she went. She walked up the couple of steps to the well and stood in front of Regina.
Regina watched Maleficent and she could see right away what she was planning. "No Mal you can't do this." Regina shouted through the darkness.
Maleficent smiled a little as she could see a little of the old Regina, her friend. The only friend she had ever had. She felt her eyes tear up and she swallowed back any tears that were threatening to fall. She had to stay strong. "I can't let him do this to you again Regina. I won't let him turn you dark for a second time. Your mother, Cora she wished for you to have a second chance and to re-live your life like it should have been and I won't let him ruin that for you. I won't let you take this darkness."
"But what about you?" Regina asked.
"I'll be fine…I can handle the darkness." Maleficent said and with that she shot the dagger up drawing the darkness away from Regina and towards her. The darkness swarmed around her sucking anything light she may have had in her. The darkness went into her and she could feel it, tingling within her the magic working up. It soon disappeared taking Maleficent with it and leaving just the dagger behind, now with Maleficent's name written on it.
Emma rushed over to Regina and broke her wrists out of the cuffs. As soon as Regina was free she fell into Emma's arms, holding onto her tightly and sobbing into her shoulder. Mary-Margaret and David rushed over too, and they wrapped their arms around their two daughters. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean for this to happen…" Regina sobbed. She pulled away slightly and looked up at her family. "I should have listened to you all…I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologise for Regina…" Mary-Margaret said cupping Regina's face in her hands. "We are just so happy that you are alright."
"Your mother is right Regina. Our main concern was if you were alright." David said pulling Regina over to him and kissing the top of her head.
Regina looked to the side and saw the dagger lying on the floor. "What about Maleficent? What is going to happen with her?"
"I'm not sure Regina." Emma replied. "But if she needs us to we will help her."
Regina smiled and then looked over towards Gold, Cruella and Ursula. "And them?" She asked motioning towards them.
"Well…" Emma said and Henry and Robin stepped forward to make sure Cruella and Ursula wouldn't trying to run. "They will be locked away Regina. They won't get to you again."
Emma, Henry and David took Cruella, Ursula and Gold to the station, cutting off their magic and making sure they wouldn't be able to escape. Robin had expressed how happy he was that Regina was okay and told her to go and rest and he would see her very soon. Mary-Margaret took Regina home and had gotten her upstairs and into bed. She was tucking her in and she sat on the edge of the bed an brushed some of her hair away from her eyes.
"I'm so glad you are okay Regina. I was so worried about you." Mary-Margaret said softly.
"I went to tell him I didn't want him to teach me magic anymore but he wouldn't let me go. I should have listened to you all when you told me not to trust him." Regina sighed.
"What made you change your mind about him?" Mary-Margaret asked.
"I had a dream…a memory about him…he was teaching me magic a long time ago, dark magic. I don't know why but when I woke up I just knew I couldn't continue going to him to learn magic. I don't really know how to process all these memories…it's a bit confusing." Regina said.
"Well you have a choice you can make Regina…you can choose to keep all these memories, the old and the new, from both lives. Or you can choose to rid yourself of the memories of your old life." Mary-Margaret said.
"What do you think I should do?" Regina asked.
"I can't say what you should do Regina. This is a choice I cannot and will not make for you. It is your decision. Whatever you choose just know that we, your family, will love you no matter what." Mary-Margaret said before leaning down and kissing the top of Regina's head. "Now try get some rest. You have had quite an eventful day."
"That's an understatement." Regina threw back and Mary-Margaret laughed a little.
"Sleep well my darling." Mary-Margaret said before leaving the room.
Regina sighed and she turned onto her side. She had no idea what decision she would make but maybe later on it would all be a little clearer.