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Chapter Twelve, Dark Heart
David looked with concern at his daughter, who seemed to be peacefully sleeping. "Gold?" he called, moving back to the front. "Please tell me you found something in your books that can change her back."
"I have not."
"Rumple, that's not exactly true," said Belle. "In some of the legends love and affection weren't just the triggers but also the solution."
"How do you mean?" asked David.
"Sometimes the victims were brought out of it by declarations, sacrifices, and actions of love by the people who loved them most."
"That is true, Belle," said Gold. "However, again I am reluctant to take the word of ancient stories."
Killian scoffed. "Isn't that what our lives are, at least to the people of this realm? We're just stories." He then smirked. "Though some stories and the more dashing characters have been horribly misrepresented."
"He has a point," said David with a chuckle.
Belle smiled. "He does, an excellent one."
Gold looked at them all. "I suppose he does."
David sighed. "But love and affection are not working with Emma."
"Perhaps you aren't trying hard enough," Gold suggested with a smirk.
"How can we? We can't get close enough to hold her or...anything else!" cried Killian with frustration.
"We'll find a way," said Emma's father.
"She may be too far gone," said Gold. "Hmm, let me see."
He walked to the back, his hands stretched out over Emma. He waved them above her. His hands seemed to be pulled over her heart.
He frowned, then began to pant.
"Rumple?" asked Belle in concern.
Gold looked at her, his eyes wide as he had difficulty breathing. Finally he collapsed by the couch.
"Rumple!"
"Pull me away," he whispered. Belle and both men dragged him against the other wall. He clutched his chest. "I've never felt...such darkness."
"You haven't?" Hook asked with a scoff. Then he looked at Emma and felt a raw rush of fear. "Bloody hell. You're the dark one."
Gold stared at him with awe-struck eyes. "Yes, exactly. I'm very concerned," he whispered. "In fact...I'm frightened."
"I don't like the sound of that," said David.
"Nor do I like admitting it," Gold said. He struggled to stand, helped by Belle and David. "There can be no longer any doubt. This is very dark, very unnatural."
"Dark magic," said Belle.
Gold looked at her. "I'm not...quite certain."
"What?" asked Killian. "Of course it's magic!"
"I think it's a form, but it's...ancient, even more so than I thought. If it is magic, I think it's something so old that it has to do with perhaps the forming of the realms themselves. It is certainly older than my powers."
"You mean, it's older than the Dark One?" asked Belle in a small, scared voice.
"Yes, my love."
Killian cursed.
"What do we do?" asked David.
"My research goes only so far. If we are dealing with something from the dawn of creation, I suggest a visit to the fairies may be in order."
"Yeah, I think so," said David.
The bell to the shop jingled. David walked out front and smiled. "Hey," said Mary-Margaret. "How is she?"
"She's asleep. Where's Henry?" he asked, kissing her.
"At Regina's. He'll be OK."
"The poor lad," said Killian, joining them. He looked toward the back. "She'll hate herself when she comes out of this."
"Yeah," said David.
"We'll help her through it," said her mother gently. "Can I see her?"
"Come on," her husband said, taking her hand.
Mary-Margaret gasped when she saw her. "She's even darker!" she cried.
"I know," said David.
Mary-Margaret crouched beside the couch. "Oh, my poor sweet baby."
"We'll leave you guys alone," said Belle, helping Gold walk out front.
"We may have a lead," said David softly. "Not much of one, but we think maybe the fairies might know something."
"Why? This is dark magic."
"Gold thinks it's something really old. Hopefully they can help us."
Mary-Margaret nodded. "I want so badly to touch her."
"I know. You can't. We're not sure what would happen. Her powers may make whatever this is even worse. We could turn as dark as her."
She sighed. David sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her.
Suddenly they heard Killian shout. "What the hell?"
"What is that?" asked Belle.
David ran out to see the other three people pressed against the shop windows, looking outside. He joined them. He saw a large black...cloud gathering in front of the shop.
"Belle get back," said Gold, as the cloud surged forward.
Dave and Killian ran back with them as the cloud pushed through the door.
"What the hell?" asked Killian.
It moved like a cloud, leaving the whole shop in darkness.
They backed away from it as it moved.
"What's going on?" asked Mary-Margaret. She stopped cold, looking as the black mass moved towards her.
"Mary-Margaret!" cried David.
"Move!" yelled Killian.
She shook her head. Behind her lay her helpless daughter. "No."
Suddenly Gold moved forward, his hand outstretched. The cloud reacted, a kind of arm growing out of it, reaching for the wizard.
"No!" cried Belle as the thick black smoke formed around him. He began choking and staggered back.
Killian and David moved forward but the arm moved toward them, expanding so it covered them both. It enveloped them, hurling them to the walls.
"David!"
They were held firmly.
Then the cloud moved on Mary-Margaret. It swarmed her, pushing her back into the room with Emma. It forced her onto the ground across from the couch.
Then the cloud moved over Emma. It completely covered her, lifting her up. It held her aloft then began to move, carrying her limp body.
Only Belle could move and as the cloud left the back room and made for the shop's door, Belle ran toward it. Gold screamed, but it was too late. She was back-handed by the strange cloud appendage.
She flew across the shop, landing on the floor, just missing a glass display case.
Then the cloud left. Everyone in the shop could move. They ran outside, seeing the trace of darkness moving down the street.
"Bloody hell."
"That my friends," said a gasping Gold, "is a malevolent entity."
"We should go after it!" cried Mary-Margaret.
"We'd never catch it," said David. He watched as the cloud had now faded from view.
"We must deduce where it would have taken her," said Killian.
"Her place maybe?" suggested David.
"Let us go there and discover if that is so."
"I think the prudent course of action is to go ahead to the convent," said Gold. "It needs Emma for something. It came to get her. I doubt it means to do her harm."
"It's bloody well done enough!"
David sighed. "Leroy is still at the house, right?" he asked. Mary-Margaret nodded. "OK, have him keep watch. Maybe send the other dwarfs out to scout around. A giant cloud black as night can't be hard to spot."
"We go to the convent?" asked the pirate.
"Yeah," said David.
Belle took several deep breaths. "Will we change now? Will we become hateful?"
"And what the bloody hell was that thing?" asked Killian.
Gold looked at them. "Questions I do not have answers for. Hopefully Mother Superior will."
End of Chapter Twelve