Time to Go pt 6
Emma brings Killian to a small cottage that has vibrant wildflowers clinging to its sides. Ivy over the front door that looks like a wedding arch. "What is this?" Killian asks, afraid to let go of Emma's hand, in case it is the last time he will hold her.
"Home. For me. But now for us." She smiles like the Emma he remembers.
He decides to be a little playful, in an attempt to maybe reconnect to the old Emma. "You asking me to move in with you, Swan?"
She blushes. "Killian, we have been through a lot together. There isn't anything for you in the Enchanted Forest or in Storybrooke. Is it so bad to live here forever with me?"
"Of course not, Swan. I just figured we'd live amongst friends and family."
Her warmth, her light, fade. He said the wrong words.
"Friends. Family. You know what friends and family do to a person? They betray them. They stab you in the back and pretend that everything is okay. Then they want to go home and still pretend that everything is okay. I don't need friends. I don't need family." She snuggles with him and grabs him by the collar of his jacket. "I only need you."
"What have I done to you, Emma?"
"You really want to know?"
"I believe I deserve the truth."
She loosens her grip on him. "You… sided with them."
Now Killian remembers. The look of despair and regret cloud his eyes and make him feel weak. "I thought…"
"You thought what? You were doing the right thing? Killian, people always have the best intentions, but usually, it's those best intentions that bring out the worst. You're right. I didn't want to become the Dark One, but now that I am, I see clearly. You all used me. Whatever needed to be done got done because I was the savior. No one else could do anything heroic except me. Where it stands to truth that you never lied to me, I can forgive you in time. But my parents… there is no forgiveness. They've crossed the last line of patience and respect. They need to suffer. They've put me through enough suffering."
Killian quickly pulls Emma into his arms. He holds her close, rubs her back. "Emma, I don't want to lose you. I don't want to become a monster again, either. But I feel I will if I continue to be with you."
"You breaking up with me?"
He doesn't want to admit how close he is to giving into the darkness. "Temporarily."
"You mean until I am no longer the Dark One. Wake up, pirate! I am not going to be anything but the Dark One. I thought you would have realized that there is no turning back. If somehow someone succeeds in freeing me, then I die. You understand that? To be free of the dagger is to be free of life, of your soul. Is that what you want?" Killian is getting nervous. "If they fail, I remain this forever, but I'll be alive."
"Until someone decides to kill you and become the Dark One. Don't you see, Emma, there is no happy ending for you as the Dark One. Fight the darkness, come back to me."
She is ready to break down, to break apart. She puts her arm around him to support herself. Her body feels so heavy. The darkness is one heavy "ball and chain". Her willpower is nearly gone. "Fight?" She giggles like Dark One Rumpelstiltskin. "You are done with me. I will let you return to Storybrooke."
"No. I will stay here with you. Forget what I said."
"I'm repulsive to you. Henry likes you now. You can remind him of his dad and me, every day. Keep the Emma they loved alive." She puts her other hand against his face. "I'm so sorry, Killian. I don't want to be tempted to kill you. I couldn't bear it if you died, especially at my hand." Before he can pull away or do anything else, she gently kisses him. His hand falls under her chin. He doesn't want to let go, but he has to.
"Emma said the Dark Faerie's wand would be right here, inside this rotting tree stump," Regina says.
"And you're going to stick your hand in there without a second thought?" August says.
"No. I'm going to… well I don't know."
"She could be lying. Dark One lies."
"My mom wants me to get home safely. Of all people, she wouldn't want me to get hurt so she must be telling the truth."
"I hope so, Henry," August says.
"You forget, August, Rumpelstiltskin lied many times, but he also told the truth when it came to his son, my dad."
"Yes, but he fell into the darkness big time after Neal died. Not even Belle could keep him grounded."
"That imp had everything in motion from the start. He loves Belle, but his lust for power and control, overwhelmed him. That isn't the case with Emma. She isn't after power or control. She wants to be left alone. She is riddled with pain from the things we did to her. That caused her descent into darkness. But she was also born with the opportunity to embrace the darkness. Capable of being light and dark. She can't find a balance. If she could and maintained it, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. We need to find that dagger. Screw Emma's request."
"What request is that?" August asks.
"Emma was letting me return home with Henry, on one condition. I have to destroy that snowglobe."
"No, Regina. That would be a very bad idea. You don't realize what that things holds. You want Emma to come back to us in one piece, you will not touch that thing."
"That is exactly why I said screw her condition. I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep my son safe and save his mother. So we are going to the Enchanted Forest and we are finding the Dark One dagger."
"I thought you said you wanted to go home?" Henry says, happy but unsure at the same time.
"We are. The Enchanted Forest would have been your home if Emma had met your father there. We are going back to where we belong. Storybrooke was a fantasy of mine."
"You going to let everyone in Storybrooke just rot? You've become the evil queen again, Regina."
"No. For once I am doing what is right without the remorse or regret. The salvation for Emma lies in the Enchanted Forest. I'm going to take on her previous role, seeing that she is quite content being evil, like I was."
Henry smiles.
"You know the vault is going to be heavily guarded."
"That's okay. At least there I will have my magic back. And don't worry, puppet, I won't hurt you. But don't think about abandoning us when we get there." Regina kneels down before the rotting stump and rolls up her sleeve. "I bet this is going to be like old times." She plunges her hand into the wood and digs around. She smiles when she feels she has something. She pulls her hand out and she is holding the Dark Faerie's wand. "Now, let's go save our savior."
Emma grips her chest. She looks away from her mother. "Regina. Clever little queen." She turns back to her mother. Her father is standing next to her. His facial features expressing true horror and shock. "You should have stayed away. Sorry, folks. The Dark One is not known for being very nice. I know you wanted a happy ending for me. Well, we are all together. This isn't what you had planned but it is cozy. You get to spend eternity with your daughter. You'll grow to like this place. You're going to love the adventures I have planned for you. Just you wait."
Mary-Margaret is running, not for her life, but after something or someone. She is in her Snow White bandit outfit. A bow across her back with a quiver and a dagger strapped to the inside of her boot. Her hair is long and full of bits of crushed leaves. Like she had been rolling around on the forest's floor. She looks up from footprints in the mud. "Charming, I found him!"
David comes running over to her with his sword high and princely attire stained with dirt and grass. "Snow, are you sure? He is a pirate. They are very cunning."
"Oh, I'm sure, Charming. I can smell the sea air coming off him. He is very close."
"What about the beast that is after him too?"
"We will do our best to help Captain Hook. Let's just hope that we aren't too late." She runs off with David behind her.
Emma peeks around a tree and smiles, deliciously happy about the turn of events. A game to keep her occupied.
Killian stops at a tree, panting. "Bloody hell. The woman couldn't just let me go. No, she's going to make a game of it. Very well, Swan. Two can play at this game." He looks around the tree and sees the giant monster coming for him. A two-headed beast with one head that of a wolf and bear hybrid, and the other a hooded head with a red blank face. No features whatsoever, just an egg-shaped face that is red. The beast catches Killian's scent and charges for him. Killian pulls his sword and prepares for the encounter.
Regina takes a deep breath then waves the wand in front of her. A portal opens and she walks Henry through, then walks August through. She takes one look back then leaps into the portal.
Emma suddenly feels different, like a piece of her soul has escaped her body. "Enough!"
David and Mary-Margaret appear before her, on the ground, motionless. Killian appears next, tied up around a tree.
"What have you done?" She circles Killian. "What have you done?!" She unties Killian with a wave of her hand and the rope falls off him. "I have a new game for you, Hook. You are going to the Enchanted Forest to kill Regina." A thick black smoke engulfs Killian and the pretty face disappears, to be replaced with a ghostly face that exudes a slimy green goo and smells like rotten milk. "Don't stop until Regina's heart is crushed in your hand."