Can you make the right choices to bring Emma back to the light, or will the path to angst be paved with good intentions?

Part 1 left us with the question of who was right in their theory of where to find Emma!

He's not sure what made him think she would still come here, to the bench by the water that he once told her might calm her heart. A glimmer of hope, somewhere deep inside his breast, almost snuffed out by the ice on her skin, in her eyes, in her heart. But not dead. Not quite.

They failed, they failed her and the worst part is he didn't even know how; had no idea how to fix it. He only knew that he had to see her again. Even though her eyes looked right through him and made his heart clench in agony. He had to see her.

"Swan?" he called, he kept his eyes fixed on the dark waves, afraid to look behind him, though whether he was afraid that she wouldn't come… or that she would, he wasn't entirely certain.

"You don't have the dagger, you cannot summon me. Why do you try?"

"I didn't summon you… I called for you. I thought you might come here. It used to be a place that we loved. Do you remember?" He still doesn't turn but he can feel her moving closer, a prickle on the back of his neck, his body so attuned to her presence that it made no difference that she made no sound as she moved.

"I'm not the one who's cursed. I remember everything perfectly." He turns now and she is close, so close he clenches his fingers to prevent himself from reaching out to her. "But yes, I remember that too. I was so weak then."

"Swan, you were never weak."

"It doesn't matter now. Now I'm stronger than ever."

"It is stronger than ever. Your heart was stronger than it six weeks ago. Please… tell me what happened." She was circling him now, like a bird of prey and goosebumps prickled along his skin.

"You failed me," she whispered, looking straight into his eyes as she circled; watching… waiting for what she knew those words would do to him.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't even know what you did," she mocked scornfully.

"I'm still sorry."

"And now you're the weak one."

"What is it that you want, love?"

"Don't call me that," she snapped, pausing in her circuit and closing the distance between them with an angry scowl on her face. He didn't so much as flinch and she raised a hand to his cheek. It was too cold but Killian leaned into her touch. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she stared at him for a long moment, as though trying to figure him out before she pulled her hand away. "I want them punished."

Killian raised his eyebrows, "Them?"

"You're going to help me."

"I intend to, Emma," he said and she rolled her eyes, flicking her hand and sending him sprawling back across the dock. Before he could even pull himself up onto his elbows she was standing over him.

"You know I never loved you the way you loved me? You were useful, supportive, you were what I needed then, but not now. I don't need you now." His eyes fell and Emma huffed in irritation. "You should thank me for telling you now. Before you got all sorts of ridiculous illusions of belonging to that happy little family."

"They're your family, Swan. Whatever they did… they love you. So much Em-" his words were cut off by a pressure at his throat that dragged him to his feet and pulled him over to her before it released him.

"I don't have a family," she seethed, "I have Henry." Her eyebrows snapped in as she realized she'd said more than she intended. Before he could even speak a blade… the blade ...appeared in her hand and was flying with startling velocity towards his throat. He raised his arm on impulse, catching her wrist with his good hand and twisting. Anyone else would have dropped the blade, winced in pain... but Emma's eyes just shone with glee.

"There he is… It's good to see you, Captain." He swallowed hard but didn't release his grip on her wrist. She laughed, "That's what I need. The fire. The pirate. The villain."

He released her hand and the dagger vanished. "That man is gone."

"Oh, I know better than that," her voice took on a familiar singsong tone that shot a spark of adrenaline through his limbs. "You know, I remember it now?"

"What?" he replied warily, she was circling again then suddenly they were on the deck of his ship, a grey smoke clearing from around them. "She stood there," she pointed to a spot on the deck. "You were there..." Suddenly he was thrown backwards, the ropes of his ship coming to life once more to tie him to the mast.

"Swan, please," he begged. With one exception he hadn't begged anyone for anything in centuries… not since he'd held his brother in his arms. But he had begged her not to take the darkness, and now another plea slipped through his lips just as freely. "Please, don't do this."

She ignored his words as she examined the deck. "And me…" she did a little dance step across the deck, lighthearted and free. It was the movement of a happy child all the more painful for the contrast… She stopped now and smiled… just where Rumplestiltskin had stood so many years ago.

"I was here, when I took her heart."

Killian felt bile rise in his throat, and for a second - just a single second - it wasn't her he saw standing there. It was the Crocodile, as he crushed Milah's' heart, and Killian's entire world with it. Then he blinked, and it was Emma again, but his world was still crumbling, because she held her hand clenched into a fist in front of her, staring at it with fascination. Her eyes held the same expression the Crocodile's had on that day so long ago. She opened the fist, as though dropping something, and looked at Killian again.

"Are you remembering it too, love?"

"It wasn't you."

Emma gave a careless flick of her hand and the ropes released him sending Killian crashing to the deck. "Oh sure, it was Rumplestiltskin's idea, but I was there. I remember every moment," she taunted, stepping closer with every cutting word. "I am the latest of many, the greatest of many. I remember. Her gasp, and your cries, the thud of her body as she hit the deck. I remember everything. You gave up your vengeance for me…. but now, now I wouldn't ask it of you. I don't need your crocodile now."

"This isn't you."

"It's better."

"Mom?" Emma froze and Killian closed his eyes, what was he doing here?

"What are you doing here, kid?" Emma echoed his thoughts.

"I wanted to see you again."

"Get out of here. Hook and I are just working out a… a business transaction."

"No, you're not. I'm not an idiot, I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work."

"What am I trying to do?" she asked, ignoring Killian now as he pulled himself to his feet.

"You want him to be the bad guy again, to help you punish us." There were tears in his eyes now and Emma moved closer, reaching towards him with the remnants of a mother's instinct. But Henry flinched away and Emma clenched her fingers back. Killian moved around to Henry's side, putting a hand on his shoulder and a flicker of jealousy flashed through Emma's eyes.

"I won't hurt you, Henry," she insisted, "You're not the one who failed me, ok?"

"Even if I know something you don't want me to know?" Henry challenged. Hook's hand tightened on the boy's shoulder in warning but Henry ignored it.

"I swear Henry, I won't hurt you."

"Why did you lie to us?" Henry asked. "We wouldn't have hurt you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You said you have the dagger."

The dagger appeared in Emma's hand again and she held it up, "It's right here, kid. You have to understand… I won't let someone else control my life anymore."

"You're lying. It's not real."

A flicker of anger flashed across Emma's face and Hook shifted pulling Henry back behind him. Emma's anger ignited into full bloom at the slight, that Hook would dare step between her and her son.

Ooooops, Hook just got in between a mother bear and her cub! That's probably bad. Fortunately for Hook, someone is about to interrupt this rather charged moment!

Dilemma 2: Who interrupts their conversation?

Is it Snowing to offer a bit of parental guidance, or is it Regina with some sass to distract the dark Swan!?

If you want to be a part of the vote, read and vote within 24 hours, the link to vote is on my tumblr page ( gusenitsaa ) I don't want FF readers to be left out of the fun though... so for now you can vote via review/PM too if you prefer!