"We've got a problem."
Regina barely scribbled out her latest order — fixing those damned potholes across town — when David's voice interrupted her.
She'd gone back to work, back to her office, only that morning, and was still concealing her pregnancy from the masses with a cleverly placed scarf and looser-than-usual blouse. But David would know. She was sure of it. Because his wife was Snow, and she wouldn't have kept this secret. Not from him. And Regina hadn't expected her to, anyway.
"What now," she asked, looking up from her work, and standing, her magic tingling at the tips of her fingers, ready to conjure a fireball and hurl it at whatever monster had come to town this time.
"Zelena's gone."
Regina felt sick, and it was hard now to tell what was normal nausea associated with her pregnancy, and what was genuine concern — or rather, annoyance, because Zelena was always a problem, even when she wasn't actively trying to be one.
"What," she asked dryly, her eyes narrowing in some cross between anger and worry.
"When the nurse made her rounds, she was gone. There's no way she got out of that cell on her own. She's still wearing the cuff," David reminded her — but Regina didn't need reminding.
"She had help," Regina deduced aloud, and her mind was already scrolling down the invisible list of names, possible culprits.
She was about to suggest Gold, because Regina still held the sneaking suspicion that the two had been in cahoots before, and despite his time as her prisoner, and the awkward truth that she was responsible for Neal's death, Rumplestilskin could never resist a good deal. But that thought train was quickly derailed when —
"Hook is gone, too," David added, and his hand was already moving to his holster, ready to charge.
But Regina was a bit more subtle in her approach. She was graceful in the exacting of her revenge, and never brash or hot headed — even when danger was eminent — because acting without thinking never earned her any reward.
"Emma," she said aloud, and she knew David wouldn't like it. He and Snow still wanted to believe that Emma was still Emma, and not the Dark One. They'd never been keen to believe she would be anything but good, even with the hard evidence to the contrary slapping them in the face every time she appeared in a puff of grey smoke, her skin glittering with dark magic.
And maybe David didn't like this either, but he said nothing. He watched as Regina grabbed her coat, flung it around her shoulders and slipped her arms into the sleeves easily. He let her pass in front of him, crossing the room and exiting swiftly — and he was right behind her.
Hook woke up in an unfamiliar, dark space. The air was cool and damp around him, and as he slowly came to, he moved his leg only to realize he was chained and shackled. Sitting up with a grunt, he investigated further, finding the bolt and tugging — uselessly — at the lead. His gaze followed the stretch of iron links, tugging lightly, and finding he was not alone.
The chains rattled as he pulled again, and his eyes landed on a bare leg — pale, pinkish skin.
Zelena smiled, but not in her usual crazed way. This was more of a 'hello, yes, good morning, we're trapped' sort of smile.
"Zelena," he breathed out. "Why are you here," he asked, trying too hard to sound annoyed, but his question was obviously genuine.
"Your insane girlfriend fed me onion rings, stabbed me with a needle, and used blood magic to take my baby. Kidnapped me right out of the hospital room!" she snapped, her annoyance tempered with sadness.
"And they say I'm wicked," she added softly, mostly to herself.
"Why would she do that," Hook asked, still not able to believe that Emma — his Emma — was capable of anything close to what she was saying. Even if she was the Dark One.
"What would she need you for," he asked, looking around, familiarizing himself with his surroundings.
"From the looks of things, she's casting a spell to steal my magic." Zelena replied, gesturing with her chin to a table on the opposite side of the cavern. It was covered in papers and books, potion bottles and prisms.
"Why does she need more dark magic," he asked, his face stern as though he were genuinely fearful for what may be in store.
"I don't," Emma chimed in, her voice riding on the heels of the gust of air and magic she'd used to appear there with them.
"I'm not taking Zelena's magic, I'm giving her mine instead," Emma announced, stiff jawed and evenly.
"What," Zelena asked, her eyes wide with anger — and fear.
"Killian, you were right," Emma spoke, her tone a bit softer as she turned to look at him. But he was looking back at her with distrust in his eyes and that was something she was not used to — not from him.
"My plan hasn't been to destroy light magic. It's been to destroy dark magic. The dark magic that's inside of me," she breathed out, as if she were trying to breathe away the darkness then and there.
"If that were true, why keep it secret from me — or the rest of your family," he asked, his eyes narrowed.
More distrust.
"Because I knew you would never let me do what was necessary to get the job done," Emma confessed.
"And that's where I come in," Zelena realized aloud.
Hook and Emma both turned to her, as if they'd suddenly remembered someone else was present.
"YES." Emma replied angrily, her voice rising. "The darkness needs to be contained in a vessel — you."
"Emma, what are you going to do," Hook asked nervously — because this wasn't her. This was desperation. And he didn't understand why she was suddenly so desperate.
He didn't know because Emma was guarding this precious secret — that she and her son had devised — because Regina deserved happiness and Zelena…."Zelena did not," Emma thought to herself. And she was still trying to convince herself of that.
"What needs to be done," Emma answered coolly. "I'm going to cut her down with Excalibur's enchanted blade, and the darkness will be vanquished forever."
And she spoke those words, her plan, with such sincerity and such righteousness that Killian almost forgot that she was talking about a human life. And for every awful thing that Zelena was and had done, she didn't deserve this. No one deserved this. Because if he believed that anyone did, then he had to believe that he deserved it too — because his past was dark. He had been a villain. But he was given the chance to change. Regina had been given the chance to change. And didn't Zelena deserve it, too?
"You're talking about cold-blooded murder," Hook reminded her.
"Killian, she killed Neal. And Marian. Given time, she will kill you, too," Emma countered. And even as she said the words, she knew they were a stretch. She was loosing her ground. But her actions had to be covered up because they were Henry's actions, too, and she would not allow her son to be the victim of Zelena's revenge.
"After today, you can be certain," Zelena snapped back, baring her teeth angrily.
"This isn't about Zelena, Emma. It's about you. We went to Camelot for Merlin's help. Surely he has a solution to the darkness that doesn't require this," Hook plead with her.
But he didn't understand. Because he didn't know the whole truth. He could never know it.
"Merlin can't help us anymore." Emma said firmly.
"Why not. What happened there?" Hook asked, his eyes narrowing again, this time trying to see behind the dark glaze of her eyes, trying to find the truth. "Why are you really doing this…"
The sky was dark by the time Regina and David had managed to agree on some loose plan, which first involved passing Baby Neal off to Granny and walking from the Charming's apartment to Emma's house — which was further from the center of town than anything else, and Regina had to give her credit because she, herself, had been stupid enough to select a plot of land nearly square in the center of town for her own home.
"I don't understand," Snow finally broke the silence as they walked hurriedly past the parked yellow bug in the street and through the open white gate.
"How can Emma destroy light magic using Zelena?" she asked, trailing behind Regina, keeping at her heels as she used to do when they shared a castle, when they shared a nuclear family, but little else.
"She can't," Regina insisted, not looking anywhere but ahead, the task in front of her — literally.
"What is she planning?" David asked, having finally resigned himself to accepting that Regina's suspicions were correct — that his daughter was holding Zelena captive.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Regina chuckled darkly, hoping to mask the fact that her guess was likely immensely better than David's — because she still thought he was an idiot, yes, but also because she was slowly piecing together the plot that surrounded her, that she seemed to be the center of.
"All I know is - no one hurts my sister, but me." And she meant it, as she stomped up the walkway in her heels. Because her sister was hurting. And it was absolutely her fault.
"What are you planning to do once you find Emma?" Snow asked nervously, as though it suddenly dawned on her that Regina had never once in her life allowed anyone mercy where they had done her wrong — and this was her daughter she was after.
"Oh, it's simple. I'm going to show the Dark Swan what dark magic really looks like." And although her lip pulled up into a snarled smile, her threat was empty. She could — and would — prevent Emma from harming Zelena further, but she would absolutely not do her harm. Because beneath her coat, and beneath the layers of stone hard exterior, Regina had only Emma to thank for the life safely nestled in her belly.
"Do you hear Emma pacing around up there?" Zelena asked, her eyes on the cavernous ceiling above. "You're her boy toy. What do you think she's up to?"
"I'm no one's toy," he insisted — but this was only half true. "We need to find a way to get rid of these iron shackles before Emma gets back," he added, looking around, searching for any point of weakness.
"Those shackles aren't the problem," Zelena replied, her eyes bugging out — because how could he be so stupid? What Emma saw in him, she would never understand.
"This one is," she added as she held up her wrist, the black cuff in stark contrast against her pale, freckled skin.
"When Regina put it on, she enchanted my wrist and I can't cut it off," she grumbled through gritted teeth. Regina was annoyingly thorough that way.
"Without magic, we're never going to get out of here alive."
Hook stood, determination newly revived in his gaze. "It's a good thing I happen to have some, then."
"What," Zelena snorted, her eyes narrowing to look at the pirate. She hated him, then, for keeping that from her until now. "Huge waste of time," she thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. "You've got magic?"
"No. My hook does. As you recall, I imbued it with magic to rip…your heart out." The reminder was embarrassing to say the least, because even though he had meant it then, fate had pushed them onto the same side now.
Zelena held out her wrist with an understanding nod. "Go on then, what are you waiting for?" she asked with annoyance when he hesitated.
Hook pulled his arm back and held up his index finger, suspicion in his eyes.
"The last time I tried helping you, you betrayed me," he reminded her. "How do I know I can trust you now?"
"You don't. But you also don't have a choice." Zelena's favorite position to be in. Power and control. She'd certainly have been a more successful monarch, had her mother only given her the chance — instead of giving her away.
"Fair point," Hook realized with a nod. "Well then. Here's to trust." With one swift movement, his hook caught against the leather cuff and pulled it from her. It fell to the ground between them, and no sooner was Zelena waving her hand to rid them both of their shackles.
A sigh of relief preceded a second wave of her hands, and in a cloud of green smoke and magic, she was out of her hospital gown and dressed much more to her liking — donning a green frock and black gloves and caplet, Zelena was ready for a fight.
"Feels good to be back," she said with a grin. "Now. About that deal we made…"
Hook thought for a brief flicker of a moment that this would be the end of their time together, that Zelena would not stay true to her word, and he would be left there to fend for himself. But —
"Shall we get out of here?" she asked with a smirk, her tipped hat hiding one of her icy blue eyes.
"Regina, she's still our daughter," David reminded the former Queen.
Annoyance didn't begin to describe what Regina was feeling. They were still standing in the Dark One's front lawn, arguing about trivial points, loosing the element of surprise. Because you can't surprise the Dark One. And every moment they remained there, with no action, arguing over a plan, they were losing ground. Emma no doubt knew they were there, and didn't have the restriction of having to explain her every move to two idiots.
"We can't go to war with her," Snow argued, her voice pitching upwards.
"If you don't have the stomach for this —," Regina replied, her brow arching upwards. But who was she kidding? She barely had the stomach for this. She was barely keeping anything down at all.
"I'm not going to hurt her," Snow interrupted rather aggressively.
"This is exactly why she gave me the dagger," Regina shouted in reply, her eyes stinging — again — with the threat of tears. She hated herself for it. She hated her weakness, especially at times like these, when her emotions got in the way of the greater good. It was for the greater good, wasn't it?
"She knew I'm the only one who could do what has to be done," Regina snapped, and it hurt her to say it — because what had Emma done, really, except to give her the gift she couldn't have given herself. But then there was Zelena to think of — and it was all too much.
"Now stand back," she insisted, looking into Snow's eyes and feeling her heart break just a little more, because she was crying, and she understood — because Emma was her daughter. And now Regina understood that. "Or I'll make you stand back." Empty threats. They were becoming her specialty.
"No, we are coming with you," Snow said determinedly, and somewhat softer than she had intended.
Regina would hear this and expect that they were going to go with her because Emma was their daughter, and they wanted to be sure that Regina wouldn't hurt her — but it was also because Snow was protective of Regina, too, and the baby she carried, however secretly. She wanted no casualties. No injuries. Snow would protect them all.
"And not only will we stop her…we will save her," Snow finished her thought with a smile.
Regina's brow wrinkled, and she would have argued this further — because you cannot save the Dark One, she knew — but the door to the house opened, and Emma's voice had them spinning around to face her.
"I don't need saving," Emma gritted. "You're going to have to trust me. By the time I'm done with Zelena, you'll all be thanking me. Especially you, Regina," she offered.
"And why would I thank you?" she asked, sneering at the dark shell of the woman she had called 'friend'. This facade was exhausting — the nausea returned as Regina's thoughts clashed. She should be thanking her. Because she knew that this baby was Emma's doing.
"You don't remember this, but back in Camelot, you helped me admit some things about myself," Emma explained, dark eyes glittering in the dim glow of the porch light. "And now I'm ready to repay the favor. Because deep down, we both know you'll be happier when Zelena is gone."
Emma's words stung, because the admission stung. She was right. There was a part of her that knew everything would be easier without her sister. Robin would be easier. This baby would be easier. Every corner and crevice of her sad life would be easier.
"Gone?" Regina asked, the finality of Emma's words lingering in the air, a heaviness settling over her.
"This is not the way, Miss Swan, and you know it."
"We're back to 'Miss Swan'? Emma asked, arching her brow but showing no other sign of emotion.
"Well start acting like Emma again, and we'll talk," Regina snapped, hoping an extra thick layer of sass would mask her weakening resolve.
"I am Emma."
Her voice was dark and angry and cold, and it was a tone neither Regina nor her parents had ever heard before. It was startling in the way the tremors preceding an earthquake were startling — because they signaled the start of something bigger and more terrifying.
Emma stepped down off of the porch, Excalibur in hand, and drove the end of the sword down against the concrete. The sound of metal scraping rock was sickening. Regina stood firm at the point of the triangle she, Snow and David had unintentionally formed, her posture unafraid and unrelenting — she was anything but.
Magic rolled off of the blade and encircled them, freezing them in their place, leaving Emma free to finish the task at hand.
Zelena crept quietly through the house, Hook close at her heels. Squinting at the bright glow of magic coming from the front door, Zelena felt quite satisfied that their escape would be a success.
"Good, she's busy. We'll have to sneak out the back," Zelena suggested, turning over her shoulder to the pirate who shuffled dejectedly a step behind.
"I'm not coming with you," he grumbled, his eyes fixed on the front door, knowing whatever was happening out there, Emma was the cause.
"Are you joking?" Zelena asked with quizzical disbelief. "I actually keep my word and you decide to go down with the ship?" She was not hiding her disgust well.
"If I don't stop Emma, she'll just find somebody else to put her darkness into, and if I leave now, I may never get the answers I need.
"And how are you going to get them? I don't think she's in a sharing mood," Zelena quipped.
"Emma stole squid ink from Gold's shop. If I can find it, then I can get her to tell me what I want."
"Well then, you better hope she doesn't find you first. Ta-ta."
With a quick skip, Zelena was moving to the back door, slipping out — unscathed — leaving Hook to begin his search.
He pulls open the desk drawer in the corner and rummages through a few compartments before his gaze lifts to the framed photograph above it. Birch trees in the snow. And there's something he finds — or feels — is suspicious about it, and he lifts it up and off of the wall determinedly, half expecting to find a hidden compartment in the wall — because that's what the Crocodile would do.
But the wall is blank and there's no sign of any trap door beneath it. Disappointed, he sets the frame down, leaning it against an arm chair, ready to move into the next room to continue his search — but he looks up and she's there, sword in hand, and anger in her eyes.
"Really," she asked with angry disappointment. "I was trying to help you."
"Swan," he breathed out, hoping he would be able to reason with her. But the thought is quickly banished from his mind because she is the Dark One, after all.
A quick glance away from her was all he needed. The dark vile of squid ink was taped crudely to the backside of the frame, and though he hesitated briefly, he reached for it in a single, swift movement, uncorking it with his thumb. He wasted no time in flinging the dark liquid in her direction.
"I'm sorry love," he apologized, watching as the magic spread out in the air, covering her, and binding her where she stood. "You've left me no choice. Regina was right."
He could see the sting of those words, how they settled over her like irritating burrs leaving a rash in their wake. But he continued.
"You are a villain now. And now you're going to tell me exactly what happened in Camelot to make you that way."
"How are you going to make me do that," she asked, ignoring the hurt he'd just caused her.
"I've got some ideas," Zelena's sing-song voice announced her return. "I see you've found the squid ink, Captain," she noted gesturing slightly with her chin to where Emma was frozen in place.
"Zelena, why the hell did you come back," he asked in a low, gravelly voice.
"I thought about how you said you couldn't run until you got some answers, and I realized — I couldn't run, either. Not without making the Dark One pay."
And Emma had much to answer for. Because despite how this had all begun, it ended with her, losing a child.
"Whatever you think you're doing…" Emma began, and as her eyes followed Zelena — because no other part of her could — she felt her stomach drop. Behind the witch's back was a dagger.
No sooner had Emma shouted "NO!", Zelena was bringing the blade up and thrusting it down into Hook's chest.
He grunted, crying out at the impact, but already he could feel that something wasn't right.
Zelena only laughed and stepped back, watching more questions fill the pirate's mind.
"I bet you didn't see that coming, did you?" Zelena laughed darkly. "Of course, that's nothing compared to the surprise that you're feeling right now. You're saying to yourself - 'I just got stabbed in the chest. Why, shouldn't it hurt more? Why am I not dead?'" Zelena taunted.
"What the hell is happening," Hook asked, and he was more afraid of the truth than the infinite and overwhelming possibilities.
"ANSWER ME, WITCH!" he shouted angrily at Zelena, because he could tell by the look in her eye that she knew — she knew.
"Well, you could take my word.." she began speaking to Hook, but her head was already turning to Emma. "Or…you could return the memories that the dark one stole. See for yourself," she hummed, quite pleased with herself, as she held up a dreamcatcher.
"I found this outside," she crooned, dangling it tauntingly between Emma and Hook.
"Don't trust her," Emma whispered. But it didn't matter what she said now. She could see in his eyes that the trust he had for Emma Swan was being replaced with distrust of the Dark One. "I can explain everything, Killian…"
But he paid her little attention, greedy eyes settling on the dreamcatcher in Zelena's hand. "Do it."
Zelena activated it in an instant, and it glowed golden yellow as the memories of the missing time in Camelot played before his eyes.
It was everyone together inside Granny's in the center of Camelot's forest. Merlin and Emma were preparing to ignite the Spark, to destroy the darkness once and for all. She lit the flame with magic, and lifted the dagger together with Excalibur, joining them together — but then Hook is recoiling in pain, and his neck wound is reopening, and everyone is in panic.
He's lying on the ground, bleeding and crying out in pain — and Emma can't understand why it's happening because she had healed this wound, caused by Excalibur, in the woods days ago.
But Merlin steps in, and he's saying something about the cut being deeper than the flesh. It had cut into his mortal soul. And a wound from that blade cannot be healed. Emma's power isn't strong enough to heal it — and neither is Merlin's. But Emma refuses to believe it, to accept it.
And she won't.
Ignoring the cries of her friends and family, begging her not to do anything rash, Emma transports herself and Hook to a field of flowers. Even Hook is begging her not to do what he thinks she wants to, because he had tasted darkness before. It had taken a lifetime to push away. And she was going to undo it all, just for the chance to be together a few years longer.
Emma's face is red and swollen, and she's sobbing as she watches the life drain out of his face. And she lifts Excalibur in the air until it glows, spindles of dark magic beginning to flow out from the hilt until there is nothing but black. It's flowing over Hook's body and into him and around him — and then he is gone.
And the blade is no longer inscribed just "Emma Swan". It's "Killian Jones", too.
A second Dark One is born.
The dreamcatcher's memories are emptied, and Hook is left on unsteady feet, shaken to his core. He barely registers Emma's apologies, her begging him to understand that she had no other choice.
"Aww, are you finding the truth hard to swallow," Zelena asked with a grin, picking up Excalibur and holding it out to him. "Here. Have a look at the sword. Glamour spell," she said giddily.
"Now. Tell me," Zelena hummed, still dangling the dreamcatcher from her fingers. "Are you ready to learn what else happened in Camelot…"