Chapter Three: Storybrooke Town Meeting

The next morning Lexi awoke to bright sunshine flooding Mr. Gold's shop. She starred up at the ceiling and sighed. How many times had she, Liam, and Henry hid inside these walls for protection? She remembered each time they stayed there they searched for something useful to help them with Emma. But all they usually found was dark magic.

Had this all been a wonderful dream? Was she still in her time but all alone? The bed she laid on was in the center of the entryway of the shop. That didn't make sense since they never slept in the front of the shop whenever they were there. It was too dangerous. The shop was also too full...

"Good morning, Lass. Did you sleep well?"

Lexi's head snapped to her left, and she gasped as she sat up. "It wasn't a dream. I'm really here."

Killian rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up once Lexi released his hand attachment. "What wasn't a dream?"

"This...me being here in the past with you and the rest of my family."

"Aye, you are really here, but you went through a major ordeal last night. Maybe you ought to rest some more?" Killian easily detached his hand attachment and replaced it with his hook.

"I've rested long enough. It's time to save Mom so everyone else will be saved as well." Lexi swung her legs to the right side of the bed and stood up. She turned around seeing her father stand up from the left of his bed. She couldn't help but laugh watching him try to maintain his balance in the small space he stood in. There was only so much room from between the glass case and his bed. "Here let me fix that for you." With a wave of her hand the bed vanished.

"Thank you, but I had the situation under control."

"Sure you did. Where is everyone?"

"Most likely gathered at the Town Hall. And that's where we need to be as well."

"Sounds good to me," Lexi said walking up to her father's side.

She held out her left hand and smiled when he laced his fingers through hers. This was something new for him she realized. According to Henry her parents had just started dating when Emma was yanked away from him. They walked hand in hand through town and entered the Town Hall together. What they saw once they entered was complete unrest and panic. It made complete sense since everyone feared both the Evil Queen and the Dark One.

"So we kill her?"

"Lee Roy, that's not what I said. She's still my daughter."

"Yeah, but she's also the Dark One now. She's more powerful than even Regina. How are we going to compete with her?"

Lexi glanced around the room seeing several people nodding their heads and others voicing their agreement. What was wrong with these people? They were supposed to be heroes. Their job had always bee to battle evil and win. But they couldn't do that by killing the Savior.

"She's still my mother!"

She hadn't meant to shout, but she couldn't help it. They wanted to kill her mom which would ensure she and Liam would never be born. She couldn't allow that to happen. She wouldn't allow it to happen. Lexi watched everyone jump and spin around to stare at her. She lifted her head, clenched her jaw, and starred back one of them in the face.

"Your mother...who are you?" Lee Roy looked from Hook to the girl standing beside him.

"That's none of your concern..." Killian stopped his sentence feeling Lexi squeeze his hand. She was right. They all needed to stop this fighting and work together.

"My name is Lexi, and I'm here to help."

"Yeah, okay, but Henry is Emma's only child so..."

Lexi nodded her head at the comment. "That's right. I haven't been born yet, but that doesn't mean Emma still isn't my mother."

"So, you're from the future?"

"What is this bloody twenty questions, Dwarf? She's all ready told you her name and that Emma is her mother. What else to you need to know?"

"I can't help I have questions." Lee Roy shrugged his shoulders.

"We all do."

Lexi turned her attention to the woman holding the crossbow. She recognized her from Henry's description. She was Granny from Little Red Riding Hood. "And you'll get your answers, but no one is going to kill our mother," she said nodding toward Henry. "Are we all in agreement?" Once the town folk nodded their heads Lexi nodded hers as well. "Good...now that's settled we can discuss what's happened.

She walked to the front of the room still holding her father's hand where Regina, Robin, Henry, Belle, Rumplestiltskin, and her grandparents stood. When she turned around she saw many frightened faces looking back at her. She needed to calm their fears. They were no good to her if they were unwilling to help. She needed to tell the the whole story. They deserved to know the truth of what they faced.

"As I said my name is Lexi, but my full name is Alexis Emma Jones."

"Jones...as in his daughter?"

"Lee Roy, now is not the time." David frowned at Grumpy.

"Yes, I'm Captain Hook's daughter. And yes, I'm from the future. I'm here to change things so the present I know will be different. I can't do that without your help."

Granny tightened her grip on her crossbow. "How bad will it get?"

"If we don't change things...very bad. In my time it was a couple of months before the Apprentice woke up and Rumple never did. He and Belle died within the first six months of this nightmare."

Archie looked around the room. They all had the same questions he did rolling through their minds. "What about the rest of us?"

"After Rumplestiltskin died everyone wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest. You thought you'd be safer there than here stuck in a small town. Regina found a way to send most of you back, but that's where things get complicated. Since Henry stayed here in Storybrooke he didn't know what happens to the one who leave. So I don't know what happens to all of you. I only know what Henry's written."

"But with Rumple awake the future should be changed."

Lexi glanced at Belle smiling slightly. "It should have, but it didn't. My memory of the events in Henry's book are still the same. If we don't fix this you and Rumplestiltskin will die in the next six months."

Lee Roy stood up from his seat. "Then lets leave and return to the Enchanted Forest. We only came back so Emma could defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. Now that's done lets go home."

Lexi dropped her gaze to the wooden floor and sighed. The stories Henry told her as a child were far from the truth. These people only cared about themselves, but who could blame them. They were human after all. Well, most of the were anyway. Their survival instinct was strong. Tears slid unchecked down her cheeks as despair filled her heart.

"Lexi...Alexis, look at me, Love." He turned her to face him then gently lifted her chin with his hook. "Don't lose hope, Lass. You still have us, and we're not giving up."

"I know, but that's the problem. After everyone leaves Robin and Regina are the next to die. It's after that there's a period of peace. Henry told me it was as if Mom was herself. He couldn't explain why, but I've had a lot of time to think about it. She was pregnant with me and Liam. The light magic in me and her must've shut the darkness out for a time."

Lee Roy couldn't believe what he was hearing. From experience he knew once someone became the Dark One the darkness couldn't be shut out. Rumplestiltskin never got free from it. "And how are we going to do that without her killing us all first?"

"I don't know. The dagger can control her, but if Liam and I aren't conceived out of true love then it won't work. Henry said after we were born she instantly became the Dark One again."

"How did you survive?"

Lexi looked over at her grandparents. "The two of you sacrificed yourselves so Henry and Dad could get away with us. You sent Neal with Granny so he might survive."

"What about me, Love?"

Lexi took a deep breath as more tears fell, and she looked into the face of the man who gave her life. "You died when I was two. You gave yours necklace and hook to Henry to give to me and Liam when we were older." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the very same necklace Hook still wore. "Liam held on to your hook until the day he died. That left me and Henry all alone running for our lives. I'm sure he's dead by now. She was closing in on us when I left."

"None of it is going to happen, Sweetheart. We'll find a way." Killian took the necklace from Lexi's fingers and placed it around her neck where it belonged.

"In the mean time what are we going to do?"

"You can die."

Lee Roy spun around and quickly backed away in fear. "But I thought..."

"You thought what, Dwarf? You'd escape my wrath unscathed? Perhaps I will be sparing today and let you live. I don't think so, Regina." The Dark One snapped her fingers causing the Apprentice, Rumplestiltskin, and Regina to pass out. "You three won't spoil my fun."

Killian looked at Emma, but could hardly recognize her. She had the skin of the Crocodile, and her hair no longer had its healthy shine. But it was her eyes that got to him most. Her eyes had lost their emerald green sparkle. The irises now were solid black.

"So, who do I play with first? The parents who abandoned me not once but twice, or the pirate who says he loves me, but who waited a year to come after me. Decisions...decisions..."

"Mom, stop! This isn't you."

The Dark One laughed as she glared at the boy being shielded by Robin Hood. "Mommie isn't here, foolish boy."

Killian was about to speak when something strange began to happen. The crocodile skin started to fade and Emma's eyes returned to normal. "Emma..."

"Henry...please...run...I can't hold her at bay for long."

"No, we're not leaving you, Emma."

"Mom, you have to. She's going to kill everyone I love, and make me watch. Please...you...have... too late. You should have run when you had the chance." The Dark One raised her hands only to find she was frozen in place. "What's the meaning of this!"

Lexi held her hands out in front of her concentrating hard to hold the Dark One. "I guess there' someone else in this town who has magic to hold you."

"I don't know who you are girl, but you can't hold me forever. And when I'm free you'll be the first to die."

"You're right I can't hold you forever, but the dagger can. Hook, use the dagger on the Dark One."

"I can't."

"You have to. I can't hold her much longer. Make the Dark One sleep and release her hold on Emma."

"Emma is the Dark One, Lexi. She'll sleep too."

"I don't think so. She doesn't have full control over Emma yet."

Killian could see Lexi shaking from excursion. She would collapse any minute releasing the Dark One to kill them all. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the dagger. "I'm sorry, Emma."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be once I wake up. But as we sleep I'll continue to blacken her heart until not a speck of red remains. She's mine! I will not let her go!"

"Yes, you will! Dark One, I command you to release your hold on Emma Swan and sleep. You will not harm her in any way while you're in your deep slumber. You will not awaken until you're commanded to."

"You will pay with your life, Pirate! I swear it!"

Emma collapsed to her knees feeling the force holding her in place vanish. She looked up to see Killian slip the dagger in his jacket before kneeling beside a raven haired girl. She took a deep breath and flexed her fingers. They were once again under her control. She could still hear the voice in her head, but it was nothing more than a soft whisper. She was herself for now, but she didn't know how long it would last. She rose to her feet spotting Henry.

"Mom..." Henry ran into her open arms once she was on her feet.

"Hey, Kid, I'm sorry for what I said."

"It wasn't you. It was the Dark One."

"Yeah, but who is the girl and how did she know that would work?"

"That's Lexi, and I'll let her tell you herself." Henry lead Emma toward the group encircling Lexi. He was glad to see his other Mom up without any sign of injury. "Killian, is she all right?"

"I think she's fine my boy, just tired."

"I'm stronger than you think. Did...it...work?"

"See for yourself," Henry said encouraging Emma to kneel down.

Lexi smiled as Emma came into view. She tried to sit up only to collapse back into her father's arms. He was right about her being tired. She had drained herself of magic two days in a row. If she wasn't careful using that much magic could kill her. "It worked."

"How did you know it would?"

"I didn't know. I just hoped it would."

"What?"

"When I saw you break free to help Henry I knew the Dark One didn't control you completely. It was the only thing I could think of to try at the time. I couldn't hold you any longer."

Emma smiled and nodded her head. Henry said her name was Lexi, but she sensed there was more to the story. "Who are you?"

Lexi looked up at Henry who shook his head. "You didn't tell her?" She sighed and took a deep breath. This was going to come as a shock. "My name is Alexis Emma Jones. I'm your daughter."