AN:For reference; Juno/ Amelia's new set of robes are the Aegis robes from Assassin's Creed Syndicate.
8 Hours Earlier
Inside Emma's new home, all was quiet until the front door slammed open hitting the wall behind it as Amelia walked through the threshold into the home that been occupied by the blonde "Swan!" she yelled into the houses only to get no reply.
Venturing forward the assassin too her time to look around the home to see any sign of the Dark One only to see a brown paper bag on the kitchen table with Granny's Diner as she caught the smell of something she had been craving ever since Regina had put her on an indefinite junk food ban from the restaurant. Although it didn't stop the owner from sneaking the expectant mother one or two whenever her partner was looking the other way, and a teenager who's slight of hand was improving by the day.
"Onion Rings" she said to herself as she had to pull her thoughts away from the alluring smell to refocus her attention finding Senu.
Blinking on her sixth sense her eye quickly took in her surroundings as she sought out the woman herself only to find a golden figure coming from the basement.
"Of course, she did" she mumbled to herself as she let herself into the basement to see Senu chained to Excalibur by her foot. At seeing her owner, the eagle squawked as she attempted to jumping into the air to get to the redhead only to be pulled back by the thin but strong chain as she landed on the stone that encased the legendary stone.
Descending the stone steps as quickly as she could to get to the eagle, once close enough Senu flew up as far as the chain would let her to land on Amelia's arm happy to see her as the thin chain kept her attached to the sword.
"Shhh,shhh, it okay" she tried to sooth her feathered companion clearing seeing how upset she was at her captivity "I'll get you out" Amelia said as she approached the stone encouraging Senu back on to the rock before taking a hold of the chain that kept her friend from freedom. Flexing her right arm her hidden blade jumped out of its sheath in her leather gauntlet as she wrapped the thin chain around the blade ready to pull only to stop as at a voice behind her.
"That won't work" Emma voice said from behind her "Only I can free her".
Letting the blade go back into her gauntlet she turned to face Dark Swan "You know Rumple would send me a text whenever he needed to talk to me, not kidnap my eagle".
"You wouldn't have come" Emma simply answered her "You broke my door. I hate to think what you would do if I took Tom instead".
"If you took my son we wouldn't be talking" she corrects her "Now what do you want?".
"I wanted to talk".
"Let Senu go first and we'll chat about anything you want Dark One" with a wave of Emma's hand the chain from around Senu's leg disappeared as the eagle let out her wings and flew out of the basement letting out a freeing cry as she escaped the Dark One's home.
"Now" Emma's voice brought Amelia back into the room "Lets chat".
Following the Dark One back up to main house, the pregnant assassin was led into the kitchen where the paper bag from Granny's had been removed and replaced by a pair of identical dream catchers with a small vial of clear liquid next to them as Emma comfortably took a seat at the end of the dining table with a knee swung over the over, waiting for the redhead to join her.
"Please, take a seat" she waved her hand towards the seat to her right.
Taking a slow step forward Amelia grasped of the back of the chair and pulled it from under the table "What's that?".
"Playing dumb doesn't suit you Amelia. You know what it is".
"My memories from Camelot".
"They are. But you're only getting a few of them back as long as we make a deal".
"Bartering doesn't look suit you Swan" Amelia retorted taking a seat in front of the Dark One "You said you wanted to chat Dark One, so chat you've got my attention" she told the woman in front of her as she smoothed her shirt over her bump as she sat back in her chair, ready to listen to whatever the Dark One had to say for herself.
"I need your help".
Now that is not what she expected at all.
Present
"Get on with it, Captain" Juno prompted the pirate stepping aside to let his step towards Emma "That squid ink's going to wear off soon" she warned her newest Dark One.
"Killian, please" Emma pleaded to the man she created as he took slow steps towards the frozen Dark One "What are you doing?".
"You took my memories, Swan" he started "You tried to stop me from knowing the truth. And now I'm going to return the favor" the Dark Captain held up the dream catcher that once held his memories and took Emma's instead.
Zelena's chuckles filled the room as Hook stared at Emma with hatred towards the woman who had done this to him, that had turned him into a monster.
"By the look on your face, it would appear someone needs restraining" she say as she placing the magic blocking cuff on Emma's wrist "There. No more magic for you" she teased the blonde Dark One before looking to Juno "Now, I assume, given my helpfulness, you'll allow me to go about my business undeterred".
"Yes, yes I'll make sure you're rewarded for your effort's" Juno said dismissively to the witch not needing her foolishness to ruin the plan she had in mind "As long as you don't get in our way, we won't get in yours".
"And what exactly will that be that reward?" the witch inquired with the deity that had taken over her sister's love's body and mind.
"A new life with your daughter, without the interference of little sister and her hero fiends. I'll even throw in the thief if you really want".
"You can do that?" Zelena asked the deity. Juno simply smirked at the woman answering her question "Ah" she mirrored Juno's smile "I like this new you" the witch comments as she turns and leaves the Dark Captain and Juno with the frozen Dark Swan.
Once alone with her Dark Ones, Juno viciously grabbed Hook face and jaw in her hand as he allowed her to turn his head towards her instead of Emma, cupping his head in both her hands, the deity closed the distance between their faces as the deity got a good look at her newest inhabitant of the darkness she had created hundreds of years ago, close enough that their noses grazed the other as she breathed in the darkness that oozed out of him.
A smirk twitched up on her lips, her thumb smoothed over the thick stubble on his face as she had to stop herself from kissing the man in her hands. He was magnificent. A true dark one that has darkness for her to feast on for the next century.
"Tell me" she tells her Dark One with a bright smirk on her lips "How does it feel to be a Dark One?".
Roughly moved Hook back so he was looking straight at Emma he answered his maker's question "It feels like, I've been reborn".
The Land of Endless White
She had no idea how she got here. The last thing she remembered was Emma putting Excalibur through her, next she was in the land of endless white. But it was different this time, she could feel the hard-cold floor beneath her hands as she searched for any sign of life around her. Something. Anything.
"Emma!" she yelled into the distance as it echoed back at her "Emma!" she tried a little louder hearing her voice echo in the distance as she waited for a reply but got nothing.
"Please stop talking, otherwise I will kill you this time" her own voice echoed back at her.
Amelia's eye's widened in fear see her mirror image in front of her in a shimmering robe that had gold plated armor "Juno" her voice wavered in fear of seeing the deity in front of her.
"The one and only" she replied with upturned lips "I didn't think Swan had it in her. I mean you begged the woman not to set me free again, but she did it anyway" Amelia's eye's glossed over the moment Emma looked down at her with no emotion as she ended her life to allow Juno to take over so she could heal her from Excalibur's cut.
"That must hurt" Juno continued as she passed around her vessel inside her head "After everything you have done for her. Helping her get to wardrobe that would take her to the land of no magic and in doing so, the woman you loved cursed you for twenty- eight years".
"Stop" she weakly told the deity "I know what your doing".
"You risked your life with power of the Apple of Eden so that she and her family could escape when you and Regina would be left to be killed by the Trigger".
"Stop" Amelia repeated a little louder pressing her hands against her ears to block her voice.
"She was the reason you lost fifteen years of your life to the Wicked Witch so you wouldn't be able to tell her about who she was".
"Stop it!".
"She stalled your happiness with the one you love when she recklessly brought John back from the past!".
"I said stop it!" she screamed out.
Amelia suddenly found Juno's hand around her throat gripping her in a vice hold, making her look up at the mirror image of her face "Then tell me how you don't hate her. Then I'll stop".
Amelia couldn't answer her as she stared at the deity with stammering lips and tear-streaked cheeks as Juno pushed her away with a force that sent her back on the ground.
"Weak" she sneered into the assassins face"You have allowed her to make you weak Widow. And what has she done for you in return for your sacrifices? Nothing" she seethed the last word through her teeth.
Amelia closed her eye's praying for Juno to leave her alone as sobs wracked her body. Juno crouched down next to the Assassin placing a comforting hand on her back allowing the woman to sob.
"Part of the journey is the end" Juno quoted to the woman crouching down to her level "And she wouldn't even let you have that. An end. You've given everything to her, and for what, a few week's with the woman you love and your son. I can make you strong again. I can give you the life you have always wanted. With Regina and all your children. No more villain's. You'll finally be able to rest as I create a new world to start again. All you have to do, is to stop fighting me" after a beat Amelia's sobs subsided as she looked up at Juno with fresh tears in her eye's.
"Never" Amelia growled at the deity with clenched teeth and venom lacing the word.
A gentle smile grew on Juno's face as she cupped Amelia's face wiping the tears off her face with her thumb " I'll make you regret you ever said that" she says before her world suddenly went dark.
Camelot
Near the Dark One's Vault Entrance
The deep gasp of air was the thing that took her out of the Land of Endless White as the redheaded assassin found herself looking up at the dark sky above her blanketed with stars. She wasn't in the same place she was killed in as she sat up to see herself surrounded by tree's instead of the field of pink flowers.
Pushing herself up she reached for the front of her robes to find the deadly wound that Emma had given her only to see she was wearing something completely different to what she remembered dying in. The set of robes she was in almost seemed like they were bright sunshine was reflecting of the white clean material that covered her body. But the odd thing was was that it looked like it was fading in and out like it wasn't really there, but as her fingertips brushed against the odd material it reassured her it wasn't her eye's playing tricks on her.
Pushing herself up she saw more of the robe, she saw that it was more like a second skin as it stretched down her legs disappearing into a pair of heeled knee high leather boots.
Looking to her arms her gauntlets glistened as she flicked out her wrists triggering the hidden blades to see that the broken blade had been replaced by a long silver blade.
"Like it?" a voice made her head snap up to see herself stood a few feet away as the blade jumped back into its place on her arm "It was a gift from my late husband, you'll find its nothing like the robes you usually wear" Juno tells her.
"What happened?" she asked the deity still sat on the forest floor.
"Well, after Emma un-tethered Merlin from the sword, and turned the handsome pirate into a second Dark One. She sent Excalibur through you to save you. And I happened" Juno shrugged at her with a grin gracing her lip as she stepped toward her.
"Then why aren't you in full control like last time?" Amelia asked her double.
"You're still fighting me" Juno told her as she crouched in front of her "But that won't last long Assassin. Sooner or later you'll need me".
"No, I won't" Amelia told her determination lacing her voice.
A breathy laugh escaped the deity's mouth as she smiled down at the Assassin "Funny, that's what Romeo said" she tells the redhead as she hears voices drifting through the tree's, making their way to the vault that had birthed her newest Dark One. The six figure's were being led by Merlin as they tried to find any of the three people that had disappeared from the diner and towards them.
"You might want to lift that hood of yours up. Your family are coming" Juno whispered to Amelia as the latter did as Juno instructed and lifted the heavy hood over her head as the crunching of the dead leaves being stepped on came nearer to her as she stood up from her spot on the ground to see the figures approach her.
Merlin led Emma's parent's, Regina, Lancelot and John through the woods as they searched for anything that told them of Amelia, Hook or Emma's whereabouts, after disappeared from Granny's.
"Here it is" the sorcerer announced the group as they walked straight past Amelia not seeing her stood right there in the middle of the small clearing as they headed to the entrance of the Dark One's entrance.
The other's waited as Merlin climbed up the rock formation covering in moss as he examined "There's nothing we can do" the sorcerer told them with a heavy heart "It's too late. The vault has already forged. Hook as its new Dark One".
"And Amelia?" John asked the man.
Merlin's eye's searched the treeline for any sign of the Assassin, knowing Juno would've wanted to greet her new Dark One in person "She's somewhere" he trailed off to the other's.
"Well that's helpful" Regina scoffed at the man.
"Something's blocking my magic" he argued "Something I haven't come across before".
"But she's alive?" the Captain held out hope for his wife's well-being.
"Alive? Yes" he answered the group with a firm nod "But if Juno had truly been freed I would know".
"Is there no way of telling?" Lancelot added.
"Be thankful that Excalibur isn't complete, she's at half her power while the two blades are kept separate, meaning that Amelia could be winning the battle in her head for the time being".
"Time being?" David spoke up as Mary Margaret looked for any tracks that would lead them to Hook.
"Juno can be…persuasive" he chose his words carefully "…with those with the most potential of darkness. It will only be a matter of time until she finds Amelia's weakness and exploit it to fully take control of her vessel once more".
"He went this way" the Princess suddenly announced to the group gently pushing her husband aside as she followed the partial tracks "This way! And then the tracks disappear".
"We should split up, search the woods" David told the others "One looks for Hook while the other finds Amelia".
"He's a Dark One" Regina reminded the Charming couple "He can transport himself anywhere. So can Emma. And Melia she's…" Regina trailed off as her head spun for the tenth time that evening "She's something" she sighed in frustration not knowing what else to say.
"We've got to start looking somewhere" the Prince argued.
"There's no time" Merlin tells them stopping their intended search party "Of all the paths I foresaw for your daughter, I'm afraid that this was the darkest. We should return to Granny's. Even without my magic, I still have enough ingredients to make preparations".
"I don't care how bad things got... Emma wouldn't hurt us" David argued.
"Maybe. But this new Dark One and Juno, we need as many allies as we can get".
Mary Margaret looked to her old friend Sir Lancelot as idea came to her "Lancelot, your mother's the Lady of the Lake. Could she help us?".
"Perhaps" Lancelot answered the Princess.
"Perhaps?" David repeated Lancelot's answer letting out a deep frustrated sigh.
"Lancelot, you should go" Merlin tells the knight "She does have great power. The lake is but a two-day journey from here. It's worth a try".
"And if I don't make it in time?" the knight asked the sorcerer.
"Well, then you get to spend your last moments with your mother" at that Lancelot gave one last look to his old friends before leading Regina, John and Merlin away from the couple as they needed a minute to themselves.
"We were so close, Mary Margaret" David huffed to his wife "Emma was seconds away from destroying the darkness and ending this".
"And Hook and Amelia would have been dead" his wife retorted "She chose love and her friendship with someone she looks up to, David. And we would have done the same thing. We'd share one heart because we took the same kind of risk that Emma took. We wouldn't even be sharing a heart if Zelena hadn't gotten to Lia and Tom first. She was going to sacrifice herself for us David. To find Emma. Again".
David's head fell remembering her willingness for Regina to use her heart to enact the Dark Curse to get back to Emma "We save each other. That is what our family does. So have some faith in her".
"I do. I just hope her faith in Hook is justified" Mary Margaret nodded to her husband before taking his hand to follow the other's.
Pulling the hood down from her head the redheaded assassin reappeared behind the retreating couple with tear-filled eye's, desperate to call out to them, but her voice caught in her throat, not being able to bring herself to do, terrified of the person they might see instead of her. She would have to fight this all on her own this time.
Storybrooke
Present
"You turned Hook into a Dark One? And a so-called god that created the Dark One is currently possessing my girlfriend" Regina scolded Emma like a parent as she sat on the opposite end of the couch, they had found her on inside her new home.
As soon as the magic blocking cuff was put on Emma's wrist the spell that kept her parents and Regina stuck outside disappeared as the ran in to find Emma curled up on the sofa with a defeated look on her face.
"It was the only way to save them" Emma argued to the older woman as she sat at the other end of the sofa as the blonde's mother came back into room handed her daughter a mug of tea before taking a seat in a chair opposite her.
"And you didn't think of the consequences to everyone else?" Regina retorted "To Amelia?".
"I couldn't just let them die. You can understand that" the blonde retorts.
"Well, yes, but..." the dark brunette trailed off letting out sigh "Now we have a bigger problem".
"I know" Emma said "I didn't think any of this would happen. I was trying to get rid of the darkness for good. You can't tell me, after all Zelena's done to you, your life wouldn't be easier if she were gone. I was doing you a favor".
"Come on" her mother spoke up "This is premeditated murder, Emma. There had to be another way. You should have come to us".
"I did. And I still lost Amelia" Emma told her mother as she looked back at her daughter in disbelief "I thought the best way to control the darkness was to isolate myself. But when I did that, there was no one around to give me hope or tell me when I was being stupid!" she says looking towards the former Queen "But then I told Amelia everything. Because out of everyone she would be the one that would understand, she would be the one to help me like she has before. And I let her down. Again" she seethed her herself gripping the edge of the furniture.
"Fine. You're being stupid. So stop it" Regina told her straight before she stood up from the sofa and rounded the piece of furniture "Right now, we have to clean up this mess".
"No. We don't" Mary Margaret told the older woman look to her daughter "Give us back our memories. Your dream catchers... Regina can access them, can't she? We can piece together Hook and Juno's plan and stop them".
"I'm afraid not" David announced as he joined the women in the living room "Dream catchers you said were in the shed... They're gone".
"What the hell is Captain Dark One and Juno up to?".
Hook had quickly grown bored in the former Widow's part of the Queen's vault as he waited for Juno to discard the clothes she had woken up in to find her own set that had been stored in the walk-in closet that held every piece of clothing the Black Widow owned in the Enchanted Forest. She needed her Aegis robe that had gifted to her by her late husband with the Apple.
But the search for the Apple came a quick stop when she found the compartment that held the Piece of Eden empty. The key wasn't on her person like it was the last time, which meant she gave it to someone, and there was only one person that would be able to handle the Apple in this whole town. Look's like she needed to visit her vessel's son sooner than she was planning to.
Slowly pacing the Widow's vault, the Dark One pirate eyed the various weapons that the assassin held on display throughout the small room, even on occasion dragging the tip of his finger across the edge of the sharp blades. He wasn't left disappointed; the Widow had collected a vast amount of weapons over the years that would strike fear in all her enemies.
"How much longer must we be down here, love, I have a crocodile to skin" he asked the deity through gritted teeth as eye's a the set of twin blades set on a plinth all by themselves.
"Don't worry Captain, you'll get to have your moment with your crocodile" Juno called out the pirate as she stepped out of the closet in a set of robes he had only seen her in once she set free from Excalibur "Much more comfortable" she sighs to herself "How do I look?" she asked the man holding out her arms out waiting for the man's answer.
She felt Hook's eye's trailed up and down her torso at the white robe she first appeared into the hero's the first time she took possession of Amelia before looking straight at her face "Are we done now?".
Juno's face dropped into a scowl as she couldn't get her latest Dark One to play along with her, giving up she held her gloved had towards the man "Just give me the damn sword" with a huff he handed the deity the Piece of Eden before heading out of the Assassin's part of the vault as he followed her down the walkway that connected to Regina's part.
"What are you going to do with it?" he asked the woman as she took a sharp right into the Queen's part of the vault where she kept her ingredients placing the sword onto a counter reaching back she unclasped the red velvet cape that was attached to her robe.
"A contingency plan" she told the pirate as she tied the cape around the blade covering it from view before looking through the Queen's shelves for the ingredients she needed for the spell she continued to explain what she was doing "With Merlin dead. No one in this town can trap me in the sword again, but with your world's magic infinite number of loopholes they can pursue me with. I'm limiting them to just one".
Juno picked out a few small vials moving around the cauldron the heroes and used to get the message from Merlin from earlier as she found Merlin's grimoire picking it she brought it back to the sword before quickly flicking through the old pages before stopping at the spell she needed.
Hook's curiosity got the better of him, as he peered over Juno's shoulder at he read the spell "A tethering spell" Hook stated recognizing the spell "You're tethering yourself to the sword".
"Your warm Captain, but not quite there" she said as she placed a hand over the sword "Now shush, the grownup need to concentrate" Hook did as Juno ordered and kept his mouth shut as the deity focused her power on the sword as a soft gold glow shone from the table for a full minute before it dimmed and eventually went out allowing Juno to pick it up and pull the cape away from the blade to reveal the fresh engraving on the long sword.
JUNO
"I never thought I'd ever see the day I would be tethering myself to the thing that kept me imprisoned for all those years" she mused to herself before handing the sword back to the pirate "You know what I need?".
"Aye" he confirmed as he went to take the sword only for the woman to pull it away from him.
"Try not to hurt my Rumpelstiltskin too much, I still have a plan for him" she told him giving him the sword once again.
"I'll try my best" he tells her taking the sword out her hand before heading out of the vault to find his crocodile.
She hated to part with the sword so soon after getting it once more, but her plan took precedence. She had a few loose ends to tie first.
She had never felt so disorientated in her life. The wood's seemed endless as she stumbled her way through the dark, trying to find her way back to Granny's to find the others. She needed to get back to them, that's all that mattered.
But she couldn't make sense of her whereabouts as she felt her heart hammer against her chest like it trying to burst out of her chest, she could feel her blood being pumped through her veins as Juno made her presence known to her once again, it felt like a thousand nails were being pushed into her skull, making her stumble forward, catching herself on a tree she thought she had passed by ten minute ago.
The feeling only got worse as her head screamed out in pain, biting down the scream that tried to escape her lips she felt something behind her nose pop until it was just too much to bear in silence anymore.
"Ahhhhh!" she screamed at the top her lungs. The scream echoed through the tree's as the pain continued to rip its way through her head "Get out of my head!" she sobbed between breaths clutching to the tree, as she smelt the familiar metallic smell off blood under her nose as she heard her name called.
"Amelia" Emma called out to the woman she had been trying to find again since she sent Excalibur through her to save her from dying from the cut that was made from the same bade. Hearing the Dark One her head suddenly cleared of all pain as she focused on the voice that called out her name.
She waited until the Dark One was close enough for the assassin to suddenly spin away from the tree to sink a long hidden blade into the saviors abdomen making the blonde freeze in place as her eye's met the assassin's, seeing fresh blood drip down her top lip. She looked like Hell.
The Dark One gulped back the guilt that washed over her as she watched the strongest woman, she knew crumble in front of her, she could see the blood that had dripped out of her nose as her body fought against Juno's presence in her head. The prominent bags under her eye's made it look like she hadn't slept in months as her gaunt face was evidence that she was losing the battle inside her head.
"Doesn't feel nice does it" she seethes at the woman that had caused her so much pain "You did this to me" the redhead screamed into her face before pushing her away. Emma stumbled back quickly regaining her feet as the gold faded away from Amelia's eye's leaving her normal green pain filled eye's.
"It was the only way to save you" Emma tells her.
"Great job, you did there didn't you Swan" she spat at the woman sarcastically pushing the Dark One away from her making the blade slip out of her stomach "After everything I have done for you, the only thing I have ever asked of you was to let me die. The only thing!" her temper got the better of her as she panted out the anger "And you couldn't even let me have that".
"I was inside her head" Amelia continued "The things she's done, the things she'll do" she rambled to the blonde "I begged you not to, but you did it anyway".
"I'm sorry" she almost whispered.
"You're sorry?" Amelia scoffed at her "Is that all you have to say to me? You heroes think you can just say your sorry and fixes everything they've done".
"Can't you see what Juno's trying to do. She's trying to bring the Widow back out" Emma points out "that's how she latches onto you, the darkness in your heart is all the pull she has on you, but you've changed, you're not her anymore, you're stronger than that" Emma tried to tell her to which she only shook her head at her.
"No, I was stronger as the Widow" Amelia argued "You made me weak! You and your damn parents! You have all been manipulating me for years. Until one day, one day you get me just weak enough to turn my back for one of you to runs a broken sword into my body!"
"Lia" Emma breathed in fear.
"Don't call me that! You were never my friend. You've even got The Evil Queen around your finger, so what you can take Henry away from her again".
"You don't mean that. That's Juno speaking" Emma continued to calm her down "I can help you, we just need to get you to Merlin, he'll figure out how to get her out again. You just need to trust me".
"That's the thing Swan" she chuckled out "I don't trust you. Not anymore" Emma watched as Amelia pulled up the hood of her robe and vanish in a blink of an eye .
"Lia!" the Dark One called out into the night seeing her friend disappear "Amelia!".
"Hey. It's me. I don't know when you'll get this, but I wanted to warn to you before I couldn't anymore. The next time you see me, I won't be me".
"Six weeks ago, you promised me to by my side to whatever it was Romeo tried to warn me about. I need you break that promise now. Not just for me, but for our daughter. For Tom and Henry. For everything we've built over the last few months. I need you stay away from me. Don't be the hero. This is something I need to do on my own".
"I've never been able to pinpoint the moment I fell in love with you, it just sort of happened, but when I saw you coming down those steps to the ball. It felt like I was falling for you all over again".
"I'm not saying goodbye, because I know I'll find you again in whatever I end up. In a tavern, with a drink in hand ready to toast our next life together".
That was the voicemail her soulmate had left with her the previous night while she was at the hospital with Zelena. She found it that morning.
Their home felt emptier than usual without the redhead to fill the space she had left behind. With her daughter safe with her father and Robin with his own daughter in the loft, Anastasia had decided to stay with the newborns after seeing her sister taken away from her with no way to help her as she healed from Arthur's escape attempt the previous night.
What remained of their family gathered around Regina's dining room table as they were informed of the Dark Hook's early visit to the former Dark One himself. challenging him to a duel on his ship at noon.
It felt odd without having Amelia by her side, as David and Emma chose to stay on their feet as Belle sat next to her with Gold and Mary Margaret on her right. But she would have to do without her love for the time being, they all would while they figured out what Hook and Juno were really up to.
"Once a pirate, always a pirate" the former Queen mused to herself from her place at the table, toying with the sword Dark Hook had given to Gold that morning.
"As a man, Hook spent centuries trying to kill me" Gold started "It makes sense that revenge would be on his mind".
"Why wipe my memory if he was going to announce his plan anyway?" Emma asked out-load "What about Juno in all this? There must be more to it" the blonde suspected the deities role in Hook's duel with Gold.
"Yeah, well, even if there is, we only have until noon to stop him" Belle spoke up "And to save you" the librarian finishes taking her husband's hand.
"What about Merlin's message?" David asked from his place leaning on a piece of furniture.
"He said this "Nimue" is the key to stopping the Dark One" Mary Margaret continued her husbands line of questioning.
"Nimue was Merlin's true love" Emma answered her parents.
"And she was also the first Dark One" Gold added "Juno created her, and every Dark One after her".
"What about Juno?" Mary Margaret asked the question that had been on everyone's mind since the previous night "Is she dangerous?".
"As dangerous as any villain you have ever faced, including myself" Gold answered the teachers question from across the table "The story goes that after her world was destroyed, she and two others like her, created all the worlds we know. Juno in particular enjoyed playing experiments on the humans that inhabited the land. One experiment was Merlin himself, giving him a Piece of Eden that would give him his powers as well as the Dark One's later on" Gold told the family "She's influenced each Dark One past and present including myself".
"-She's unpredictable, calculating and when she gets her hand on the Pieces in this land. Not even our collected power could stop something like that"
Silence enveloped the room as the news sunk in of the power that she could wield if she got her hands on them. Even Regina wouldn't be able to stop her.
"What does she want exactly except from creating Dark Ones" the former Queen inquired with the former Dark One to her left.
"What every immortal being wants in the end. A way to die" he answers his old student "Her one and only goal was to find her husband in the afterlife. Only for Merlin to trap her for centuries in the sword. By creating a physical entity of her power with something that would be able to kill her, she would be able to".
"So that's her plan, for us to kill her?" Mary Margaret asked the man opposite her.
"In the simplest of words. Yes. In a her vessel's mortal body, she'll be able to move into the afterlife. But not before she gets some sort of revenge on the beings that trapped her in the first place. She's held a grudge for far longer than any villain that's come swept into town".
"How long are we talking?" David asks him.
"A millennia".
"I know" Emma spoke up already knowing what Juno wanted "How do we find out more about her and Nimue?".
"Start your search with the Dark One Chronicles" he instructed the group "There are many texts that can help us. If not the old Brotherhood codex pages my niece brought here might give us insight in the first Dark One, we will need my great nephew's sight to read those for us".
"As much as I appreciate devotion to scholarship, there is an easier way" Emma brought the subject back "I am still a Dark One. I can protect you, Gold" she tells him offering her cuffed wrist to him "You just have to take off the cuff" Gold could only chuckle at the notion shaking his head the woman.
"You don't trust me" she say' looking at Mary Margaret, David, and Regina in turn, who all had the same distrustful look on her face.
"Well, if the situations were reversed, would you trust me?" Gold argued.
"Amelia would trust me" Emma told her family "She trusted me enough to save her daughter".
"No. She wouldn't"" Gold continued looking up at one of the newest Dark One as Regina eyes' found the table more interesting at the current subject, he continued "Your plan to save her daughter drastically backfired when you reunited the two blades. Now she's at the mercy of something none of us know how to fight" he felt Belle squeeze his hand as his temper simmered at the surface of his voice "I'm afraid Miss Swan, you've only just kicked the hornets' nest and my niece will suffer the consequences".
"So, it's true" Henry entered the room making Emma turn to look at him "You're here".
"Henry" Emma greets her son holding out her wrist to him "I need you to tell them it's okay to take off this cuff" Emma asked her son "It's the only way to figure it all out".
"No" he refuses much to her surprise.
"What?".
"You lied to us... about Hook and Amelia, about everything. Why should we trust you now?" Henry argued to his mother.
"Henry, I'm your mother".
"Are you?" he questioned her "Because the mom I knew wouldn't keep things from me".
"I thought you were the one person who would understand".
"I thought you were the one person I could trust" he retorted.
"So, you can forgive Regina, Amelia and Gold for everything they've done, but not me?".
"They've changed. They showed me they changed".
"So did I" she argued.
"When we first met, yeah. But the minute things got tough, you didn't come to anybody. You decided that you would figure it out on your own. We were a team"
"Operation Cobra. I remember" she somberly replies.
"But now you just want your dark magic back so you can do it alone. And I've seen what you do with dark magic" at that Henry turned back the way he went running back up the stairs.
Emma went to follow her son getting as far as the hallway only to freeze when she saw Tom looking straight at her with a hard look on his face gripping the wooden banister seeing his gauntlets sat on his forearms his jaw visibility clenching seeing the woman that put his Mother and baby sister in danger Henry ran past him to his room before he followed beind the younger teen.
It eerily reminded her of Amelia when the first curse broke. Hard. Unforgiving.
"He needs time, Emma" Regina's voice broke the pair's silent battle as he turned to follow Henry up "They both do" she added having seen the way the teenager was looking at Emma before he left to retreat to his room.
"We should really get to the library" Belle prompted the group to start moving out of their seats "We've got a lot to do".
"I have a stop to make first. I'll meet you there" Regina tells the picking up her coat "Someone needs to get Tom if your serious about looking at those Brotherhood pages".
"I'll get him" David offered as he helped Mary Margaret put on her coat.
"Let me guess" Emma's voice trailed off "I'm not invited".
"Emma. We love you" her mother tells her.
"You don't trust me" she easily deduced to her parents.
"We don't trust the darkness" her father corrected her "Stay here and let us save you. It's for the best" he adds as a series of knocks were heard from the front door alerting the homeowner and its occupants to who it could be. Turning on her heel the Dark One instantly knew who it was.
"Its Juno" Emma suddenly announced feeling the deity presence on the other side of the door that made the former Dark One flinch at the announcement "Take the cuff off" she tells her family "Now".
"No" the former Queen tells her "Stay here. Let me handle this" Regina instructs the others as she rounds the table to head straight for the door with Emma quickly following her as the former wretches the door open to see the image of her soulmate on the other side with a smirk playing on her face.
But stood before her was a version of her partner she'd never seen before. Her face was full of color practically glowing, as her long red hair trailed freely down her back and over her shoulders as it shone in the sunlight with no sign of any evidence of how tired the assassin had become of late as the bags under eyes had vanished leaving smooth pale skin untouched underneath.
"Good morning" Juno greets the brunette eyeing the onlookers over the woman shoulder to see them looking straight back at her, weary of her presence at the house after hearing what Gold had to say about her "I assume by the look on all your faces. you've all heard of me" she says as she was replied by silence "Good that'll save us some time".
Looking over the former Queen shoulder she see's Mary Margaret, David and Belle in the foyer behind them before looking back to the Dark Swan "Emma, I hope you've told them good things about me, wouldn't want this to be any more awkward that it already is".
"What do want?" the Queen spoke up for the Dark Swan next to her wanting the deity to leave.
"I've seemed to have misplaced something that belongs to me, and seeing as there's only one other person in this lovely town that can handle such an item. I've got good money he know where it is, Your Majesty" as a look of confusion come over the former Queen.
"We don't know what you're talking about" Emma tells the deity.
"Don't play coy with me Dark One. I know you've been able to feel it even with that lovely bracelet on your wrist" she calls the woman out looking back to Regina "Tom's taken after his mother after all. He's taken the Apple of Eden out of the place were she hid it weeks ago. Now, I'm no sheriff, but I think that warrant's my visit here to your lovely home you share with my vessel".
Hearing her speak about Amelia like that made the former Queen lash out at the deity as the deity was engulfed in gold smoke as she disappeared from the porch to reappear in the foyer making the others jump out of the way of the deity as she found the boy in question stood on the staircase looking straight down at her, having been alerted to her presence even before Emma did making the woman at the door whirl around to see her speaking to the teenage assassin.
"Did your mother ever teach you stealing is wrong. Especially from someone who isn't afraid to get their hands a little dirty to get it back".
"Only if its for the right reasons" he tells her keeping his gaze firmly set on the woman that wasn't his mother.
"I was hoping you would say something like that, because it'll make this threat all the more real" with a snap of her fingers two plooms of gold smoke appeared behind her before it dissipate to reveal Anastasia and MJ with their wrist bound together and mouths gagged, a sight that made the teen's hard gaze fall off his face as he saw two people he cared about.
"I made a quick visit to your baby sister this morning" she tells the humans around her taking them by surprise "I was planning on taking her, but when the Duchess quickly volunteered herself as a hostage instead. I just had to take up that chance".
Looking towards the former Queen she saw the concern on her face hearing that she had visited the loft before coming her "Oh don't worry. Robin and John are fine, so are the infants" she informs the Queen before going on.
"I'll make this simple for all of you. Bring the Apple of Eden to the Jolly Roger at noon, just in time for the duel or I'll walk your Auntie and girlfriend off the plank with a cider-block tied to their feet. Your choice".
"It's not here" the teenager tells her "I'll get it to you".
"Good boy" she drawls out "At least your mother taught you something" she tells the teen before snapping her fingers once again for the pair of hostages to disappear in gold smoke."Say hello to Rumple for me. I've got a front row seat to his duel with Hook" at that as quickly as Juno appeared she left leaving the others.
She'd never been more relieved to see Granny's in the distance as she stumbled through the edge of the forest. Breaking the tree line she willed her feet forward as she saw Regina sat on a log with Mary Margaret, David and John waiting with her after they returned from trying to find either of the two that disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, hours ago.Unfortunately forcing her feet forward was a mistake as she stepped onto a twig snapping it in half alerting her family to someone's unwanted presence.
The men quickly stood from their seat unsheathing their swords as Mary Margaret quickly grabbed her bow and loaded it with an arrow aiming it towards the sound as Regina stood up from her seat with a fireball in her hand ready to fire as they see a hooded figure in the middle of the clearing outside the diner.
"Who's there!?" David asked the figure as he and John stepped forward in unison as they knew Regina and Mary Margaret flanked them. Panic rose in her chest as the blood pumped harder through her body as fear filled her heart of facing her family.
The former Prince and Captain saw the figure reaching up to the hood that covered their head and face a bit too quickly for their liking as John raised his sword higher in reaction.
"Slowly" the Captain ordered the figure. Listening to her ex-husbands words she slowed her movements taking the edge of the hood with her fingers, pushed it back as raised her head to face her family for the first time in hours.
Their eyes lit up in surprise and relief as they put away their weapons and magic. The former Queen picked up her skirt as she attempted to run to her soulmate only for Merlin's voice to stop any sort of reunion between the pair of soulmates.
"STOP!" Merlin's voice boomed over the clearing from where he stood at the top of the steps leading up to the diner, with a hard look on his face "Do not go near her, Juno could be playing tricks on all of us" he told them as he quickly approached the redhead. Once close enough the sorcerer painfully took her face in between his hands making her wince in pain looking straight into his eye's as he searched for any sign of the deity that would be inhabiting the product of star-crossed lovers.
"Show yourself Juno, you cannot hide from me" he growled as his grip only get harder on her face he watched as she blinked at him her eye's going completely gold before she blinked again making it disappear as she screamed in pain.
"Impossible" he whispered in astonishment bringing her into his body, holding the back of her head like a child "You're fighting her".
"Help me please. It hurt's" she sobbed into his clock as she griped at it in desperation.
"I know, I know" he tried to sooth the woman as she seemed to collapse into his arms making John and David jump forward to help the sorcerer catch her before she hit the ground "Help me get her inside".
Regina and Mary Margaret could only watched as the men helped the Assassin on her feet half carrying her into the diner.
After initial shock faded from their minds of seeing Amelia alive and well the four adults awaited news from Merlin about their friend current state. She looked sick. Her face looked gaunt as she looked like a gust of wind could take out the strong Assassin let alone an all-powerful god.
Regina sat herself back on the log hunched over in worry for the woman she loved. She should have done something more for Amelia when she was dying on Granny's floor with Hook. Protected her from Emma, but there was nothing she could do. For the first time in years she felt useless when Amelia needed her the most.
The bell of the door rang out gaining the groups attention as they looked to see a forlorn Merlin step out to meet them with news of their friend and love inside.
Standing to her feet Regina pushed past John to meet the sorcerer at the bottom of the steps hoping he had some good news for them. "How is she?" Regina quickly asked the sorcerer.
Merlin paused looking for the right words to tell them the condition of the vessel inside "My theory about the blade's was right" he gulped struggling to meet their eye "While separated, Juno is only at half her power".
"Meaning Lia can fight her" Mary Margaret spoke up with a spark of hope in her voice.
"She can, but I'm afraid it will come with a price for her" Merlin tells them "Amelia is still mortal. And a mortal's body is no match for something like Juno. So, while she's keeping her at bay in her mind, her body is taking the brunt of Juno's attacks. It's only a matter of time now" Merlin didn't need to say the rest.
"Wh-what does that mean?" John stuttered as he could not think of thing Merlin was trying to get them to understand.
"She'll die" Regina was the one to say it with a tear falling from her eye as Mary Margaret audibly gasped a hand flying to her mouth as David took his wife into her arms.
"I am so sorry. I promised her I would be able to protect her and her child to prevent Juno from taking what she wants. Emma's decision to save Amelia from Excalibur's cut, will inevitably end in Amelia's demise".
"So, we do something" John stated defiantly "Find Emma and force her save her again" he was grasping at straws here as he turned to see Regina "There must be something, anything, you can't just let her die!"
Merlin saw no words he could say to the man that still loved his wife so dearly, instead he turned to David and Mary Margaret "Amelia has asked for your help with some arrangements".
"Why us?" David asked for the couple.
"You're the only people she trusts at the moment to carry out her last wishes" Merlin told them with clasped in front of them "It might sound dark but anything that keeps her mind occupied away from the pain will ease her in the end".
"We'll do it" Mary Margaret tells the sorcerer as she tears up from the thought of havign to say goodbye to the woman she saw as a hero long before they had met again under different circumstances "If that's what she wants, then we'll do it".
The four adults waiting outside Granny's diner stayed in silence, with no word to say as they waited their friend inside the building. Regina hadn't said a word since she had returned from the diner, leaving Amelia in the company of Merlin. Regina stared at the door willing for Merlin to come out to tell them he was wrong. That Amelia had beaten Juno all by herself and was healthy again. But she knew that wasn't true. She was going to lose the person she loved the most in the world again.
Yet no matter how long she stared he never did come out. She forced herself to look away from the diner only to see a familiar couple walking back to the diner hand in hand.
"There you are!" Regina greeted the Dark One's with as making Mary Margaret jump from her plane on the log eyeing the pair wearily "We've looked everywhere for you".
"Emma" Mary Margaret spoke to her daughter "What happened to you? Are you okay?".
"For now" Emma tried to reassure her mother "It looks worse than it is".
"Are you sure?" Regina inquired with the blonde.
"Aye" Hook confirmed for his love "We're ready to get the sickness out of us. Where's Merlin?".
"He's inside" David tells her seeming to gulp at the next word he was about to say "With Amelia".
Emma's eye's widened to know the woman had made it back to Granny's in the condition she was in. She couldn't find her anywhere after she lifted up the hood of "Is she okay?".
"She's dying" John snapped at her from the log "Juno's slowly killing her".
"We can help her too" Emma tells the man "I tried to help her earlier, but she doesn't trust me".
"Well, let's get on with it, then" Hook interrupted his love "I'll go get them. Wait here" he tells them as he makes his way into the diner.
While Amelia slept soundly in the booth the sorcerer had left her in, it wouldn't be long until her heart would come to a beating stop as Juno would finally die after centuries of being trapped alive within Excalibur. She would die having been bested by a mortal, something she would have never allowed to happen to her.
In the kitchen the sorcerer glanced through the serving window to see her still in the same position her partner had left her in with two vials of the medicine in her bloodstream ready to sending her in an endless sleep she would never wake from.
With Juno coming an end, there was still one problem the other's would have to face. The Dark Ones. He needed to leave a message for the other's to receive in case the worse happened.
"If you're receiving this message, then things are worse than I feared. There is only one person who can help you defeat the Dark One now. Her name is Nimue. If you want to destroy the darkness, then you must…"he was cut off as the bell rung out indicating someone's entrance into the diner, turning round he saw Hook in the diner with a sinister look etched on his face as he locked the door behind him using his magic. "The Dark One's found me already-".
"Don't forget about me" her voice startled the sorcerer as he whipped to her left to see Amelia there standing before with an evil smirk etched onto her face. But this was not the Amelia he had left to drift away in her sleep. Not at all.
The color had returned to her skin as she stood straight and strong in front of him. Her face no longer looked gaunt and sickly as her full lips smirked at him.
"Juno" her breathed in fear "No".
"This is gonna hurt more than you Merlin" Merlin had to duck back as she wildly swung swung a sword towards him making him scramble away from the deity as the message was cut off right at that moment.
"Heard you preparing for the worst-case scenario" Hook greeted the man "I'm sorry, mate. It's already here" Juno swings her sword towards the sorcerer again forcing him to try and flee from her only to be stopped by a hard hand on this chest as Hook takes out his heart.
"Careful Dark One" Juno told her newest Dark One as she puts away her sword "That's the oldest heart in all the realms" she tells her newest Dark One.
The familiar ring of giggles come from the Darkness that has taken the form of Rumpelstiltskin stood in-front of the booth "Let's cut it open and count the rings" he exclaimed in glee.
"You're too late. I've already left a message for the others" Merlin tells them edging the walls as his chest aches.
"Well, they can't do anything to stop us. Not while my devilishly handsome Dark One has this" Juno gloats to the sorcerer pointing to Excalibur that was in Hook's sheath as she joined Hook in front of Merlin.
"Excalibur. What do you want?" he ask the threesome of darkness in front of him.
"My revenge" Hook tells him "And for that, I need to get back to Storybrooke".
"And you?" Merlin turns to Juno.
"Little of the same. Amelia was kind enough to let me in, when I promised her I would make the person that killed her suffer for what she did to her" Juno answers him.
"You want to cast a curse?" Merlin guessed "It's not possible. Not without crushing the heart of the thing you love most".
"Which is why I am not going to crush it" the vision of Rumpelstiltskin tells the man making Hook and Juno smirk at his plan "But someone else will, someone who might actually have feelings for you. And that's not me" he tells the sorcerer as the vision quickly changed to that of Nimue "But it is me" The darkness as Nimue tells the sorcerer.
"Nimue?".
"Remember? I am all Dark Ones" She reminds him as she slowly approaches her love "It's romantic, isn't it? After all that's happened between us, you're still the thing I love most. And I do love you. I always have"
"But you're not really here".
"Aye, mate" Hook speaks up taking back Merlin's attention "But she is. She lives in all Dark Ones. So when I crush your heart, so will she".
Sat on a bench over looking the sea water at the docks, Juno sat and waited for her vessels son to appear with the Apple of Eden in his possession. She trusted Hook to get what they needed for the next part of their plan on punishing Emma.
She didn't understand why her vessel watched the water when she was muddled or confused. On the surface it may look calm and peaceful, but underneath is a tidal wave of life underneath just trying to survive each hour that passed and the ocean floor was so treacherous as even the slightest movement could cause mass destruction to those who lived on the surface.
The deity was taken out of her thoughts when she heard a pair feet hit the boardwalk, she didn't need to look to see who it was. She knew straight away the boy wouldn't let her hurt his family. He was predictable like that. But she needed to get the Apple back, she didn't care who got hurt in the end.
"Two minutes to spare. I'm impressed" she tells him as he takes a seat with the Apple of Eden in his hands.
"Where are they?" the teen demanded to know from the deity.
"Safe, now that I have my Apple" she tells him holding out a hand for the teen to give her the Piece of Eden.
"No" he refuses her answer "Not good enough" he said swiping the sphere away from her reach "Where are they?".
"Don't test me boy" she warns him.
"I'm not scared of you" he tells her in clear defiance.
"Call MJ" she instructs the teen as he does what she tells him, taking out his phone he quickly dials MJ's number.
"Tom!" Juno heard the teenage girls through the phone.
"MJ" he breathed out a sigh of relief hearing her voice on the other end of the phone call "Are you okay? Is my Aunt Stasia okay?".
"Yeah, we're fine. Juno let us go an hour ago, we're at the loft with your Dad and Robin" she tells him as his brows furrow in confusion as Juno takes the Apple from his hand. "Tom where are you-" he cut off MJ's voice as he hung up his phone as he realized what she had done.
"You were never gonna hurt them, were you?" the question came out as more as a statement than question as he watched the god sat next to him 'played' with the Apple in her hand.
"Nope" she says cradling the sphere between her hands. She could feel the comforting hum of the Piece of Eden reacting to being back in it's original owner, it purred away as "Needed to teach you a lesson".
"What lesson?".
"The lesson your mother needs to teach you. One she's been afraid of teaching you ever since she took you off Neverland as a lost boy, because once you learn it, you won't be able to look at her the same way ever again".
"At least I know you're not my mother then" he retorted bitterly.
"Good" she states "I need you to remember that when we meet again".
"What's that supposed to mean?".
"Nothing" she hums at him as she stand from the bench to look down at the boy that would kill her in the end.
"Thank you" he suddenly tells her making her stop and look back at him in confusion.
"For what?" she ask him in confusion
"For showing me what my Mom would be like if she found me during her Black Widow days. I would've hated her if she was anything like you are" the deity couldn't help the corner of her lip twitch up in amusement.
"Choose your battle wisely Thomas Smith, because you don't know when your last one will be" at that a ploom of gold smoke take her away from the dock to leave the teen to think through her words with the Apple of Eden in her possession once again.
The bell of the door opening and closing disturbed the occupants inside the diner as they look to see Emma joining them as she see's not only Hoo with Merlin's heart in his hand, but Nimue and Juno either side of him .
"This is awkward" the deity muttered out as silence engulfed the diner as they had been discovered by the Dark Swan.
"Juno" she breathed a greeting to the one that came before.
"Hello Emma" the deity smirked back at her "Nice makeover".
Emma turned to Hook to see Merlin's heart in his hand "You were playing me the whole time".
"Once you lied about Excalibur, all bets were off" Hook tells his love "I knew it was just a matter of time before you tried controlling me. And now no one will ever control me again" Hook looks down at Excalibur "Go back from whence you came. Back to stone" he orders the sword as a swirl disappearing from the pirate scabbard.
Seeing the first Dark One's presence the blonde Dark One storms towards the woman that took on the mantle as the Dark One first "I don't understand. Why are you helping him get his revenge?" she asks Nimue.
"Don't be naive, Emma" Nimue tells the blonde "Dark Ones never do anything without getting something in return".
"What do you want?".
"You're a Dark One. You know what they want. You want it too".
Emma's eyes widened knowing exactly what Juno and all Dark One's wanted to do with their power "No. You can't".
"Yes, we can" Juno chimed in "And we will".
"Killian..." she turns to Hook, placing her hands on his chest "Your revenge is not your happy ending. I am. You told me that. If you destroy this heart, you will destroy your happy ending along with it",
"No, Killian Jones told you that. Your lovesick puppy dog. But that man died the moment you turned him into a Dark One" to prove hi point the Dark pirate quickly crushed Merlin's heart in his hand as the sorcerer collapsed dead on the floor of the diner as the pirate leaves Emma trying to help her friend to go to the bubbling cauldron in the kitchen to pour what was left of the sorcerer's heart into the cauldron to kick stark the Dark Curse that would take them to Storybrooke.
Reappearing on the deck of the Jolly Roger, Juno found her Dark One stood over the cowering Rumpelstiltskin with Excalibur pointed to neck as the deity sees the older man clutching to a nasty cut on his arm. They had the ingredient they needed, Hook was just making most of his victory of the man that took his first love from him.
"Well, I have to hand it to you, Crocodile" Dark Hook tells the former Dark One "You lasted a lot longer than I expected. If you'd fought me with such vigor back in the day, I might have given you your wife back. Soiled, but returned".
"What are you waiting for, pirate?" Juno called out to the man "Finish him" she instructs him. Using the distraction to his advantage Gold pulls on a rope that was attached to a sandbag, making the heavy bag fall onto the Dark One's head. The Dark One fell to the deck of the ship dropping Excalibur from this hand as Gold quickly picks it up for himself, to stand over the Dark with the only weapon that could kill him poised over his heart.
"Amateur" Juno breathed out at the man's foolishness.
"Well, get on with it, Crocodile" Hooks baits him to finish the job.
"There's nothing I'd like better than to run you through. But I think... I think I'd rather let you live, knowing for the rest of your life that I bested you".
"Today" Hook sneered up at him as he takes himself away from the Jolly Roger, leaving Rumple with Excalibur as Juno leaves the ship along with the Dark One.
She was surrounded by idiots.
After his victories on the Jolly Roger against the new Dark One, Gold with Excalibur waited for Belle to find him at the well in the forest in which he brought magic to the sleepy town of Storybrooke after the curse was broken after twenty-eight years.
The former Dark One couldn't help but marvel at the sword that rested on the lip of the stone well. The only Piece of Eden that could be wielded by mortal men and magic users, unlike its siblings, that held the power to kill immortals were they stood.
"You... you did it!" his wife's voice brought him out of his thoughts as he whirled around to see her there after parting, uncertain of his future "You won.
"And you came" he replied still in awe to see her there before he stopped away down from the well the sword forgotten about for the time being as he took a hold of his love by her arms "Oh, Belle, I'm so glad you're here. I'm ready to do this right, put the past behind us" he continued ready to move forward to the man he always wanted to be for her. A hero.
"Rumple..." she starts slowing her husband down "This isn't easy for me. I love you. And some part of me will always love you. But you've broken my heart too many times. There's just too much broken trust".
"But I've changed" he weakly argues to his wife, not understanding where she was coming from "My heart is pure now".
"Yeah, you... you have, and it is. You're... Oh my God, you're. You're the man that I always hoped you would be".
"Then why are you doing this now?" he question her "Now we have a chance to make this work".
"I don't know that I want to make it work. But I do know that if I'm gonna try and figure that out, I need to do that on my own. I can't... I have spent too many years trying to mend your heart. Now I need to protect mine".
"Belle, please" he pleaded with her as she walked away from him for the last time.
"Oh dear. Rumple" her voice made him jump despite having heard it a thousand times before. Turning around he was met by the sight of the deity sat n the edge of the well in glimmering white and gold robes that only made the long bright hair that trialed down her shoulders look even brighter than before. The grin in her face made him shudder as she held Excalibur in her hand "That didn't go as well as you first thought did it" Juno drawled out from the well having seen the whole break-up for herself.
"Juno" he breathed out seeing the woman in the flesh only for the second time that day.
"Hello Rummy" she greeted the former Dark One making him flinch at the nickname she has used "Oops sorry, Juliet used to called you that that didn't she" she says jumping down from the well to approach the man "I may have been trapped, but I've been able to keep and eye on all of Eve's doppelgangers over the centuries, especially when she's the sister of one of my Dark Ones".
"What do you want?" .
"What do I want?" she questions herself as she circles around the man that had come back from the brink of death with the sword in still in her hand "You should be asking, what I can do for you" she rebuts eyeing the man in front of her "Because I know you well enough to know you've only wanted one thing your whole life. Power".
"You know as well I do, when I die. And I will" she says coming to a stop in front of the man presenting the sword to him, she waves a hand over the steel to show her name inscribed on the blade.
"Now, all that power has to go somewhere, and what better way of showing your love she was wrong about you is way to get that power while the rest of your little family remain none the wiser".
"You remain the hero in your true love's eye while you get the only thing you've ever wanted. All the power of the Dark One's combined without that nasty drawback of your heart turning to dark mulch".
"How?" he asks the deity making her smile at him. Throwing the blade towards him the former Dark One tool hold of Excalibur once again.
"I'm so glad you asked Rumple because we only have one chance at this".
"Sorrows, sorrows. Prayers, prayers" the deity breathed out impassively as she did her best to give her sympathies to the blonde Dark One as she knelt over Merlin's dead body, but she couldn't help but to be glad to see the man that had trapped her for so long dead. But as she leaned against the counter of the diner, the Darkness that took the likeness of one of her favorite Dark Ones to ever take on the role stood opposite her as they waited for the Dark Curse to take them back to Storybrooke.
Her coldness of the death of the sorcerer was heard as Emma looked up from Merlin towards the deity that had taken over her friend "Oh, don't take it too bad. I mean, he died for a good cause".
"I'm sorry. Rest in peace" the Dark Swan tells her friend waving her hand over his body as it turned to ash.
"It's over, Emma" Hook tells his love as he emerges from the kitchen having enacted the curse as he came to stand in front of he woman.
"I told you I would never abandon you" she stubbornly tells the pirate "I'm not going to start now".
"I'm sorry, love. Once a curse has been enacted, you can't stop it" he reminds her suppressing the smirk on his lips at his triumph.
"Hmmm" the deity hummed to herself knowing it wasn't all that true, but she wasn't going to correct the pair in front of her. It was a different situation.
"Yes. I might not be able to stop it, but I can make you forget why you cast it" with a quick flick of her hand the Dark Captain fell onto the floor of Granny's unconscious "And that you were ever the Dark One in the first place".
"And you never took my friend" the deity couldn't do anything as the Dark One flicked her hand up again as the redhead's eye's snapped closed as Emma quickly eased the woman onto the ground so that she was sat up against the counter, weary of the life that grew within the her friend.
"Clever, dearie" the Darkness compliments her as she summons a dream catcher in each hand to make take the memories of their time in Camelot away from them.
Once finished the savior crouched in front of her sleeping friend, placing a her hands over her growing bump that was starting to show under the robes Juno had gifted her.
"When you wake up, you won't remember losing faith in me. I promise, I will find a way to save you from her Amelia. You and your baby".
Leaving the slumbering assassin the savior walks over to the pirate she loved crouched over his form to cup his face in her hands. "When you wake up, you'll be the man you were. The man I love. The man who loves me" leaning down the Dark Swan placed her lips upon his as the darkness reminds her that her word wasn't finished that night.
"Ah, you'll have to do more than that if you want him to forget he was ever a Dark One" the darkness reminds her as she stands back onto her feet.
"I know" she states. Whirling on her heel she summons the rest of the Storybrooke residents who appear on the floor along with Hook and Amelia unconscious with the addition of Captain John Smith who sprawled out on his stomach next to his ex-wife ready to discover the secret she had been keeping to herself for so long.
Taking their memories alongside Hook and Amelia's, the Dark Swan places the magic damping cuff back onto Zelena's wrist as Senu does her best to break out of the cage she had been transported her to Camelot as she pulls at the thin bars with her feet and pecks at them with her sharp beak.
"I need to erase the memories of everyone who knew... that I turned Hook... into a Dark One".
"Right. Because no one could possibly understand. Why trust your family to help when you can do it all yourself?".
"This was my fault. I'm the one who's going to fix this" she tells.
"By using dark magic to add a memory wipe to the curse. But you won't like where it leads" Stepping over her unconscious family to venture into the kitchen where the purple smoke of the Dark Curse bubbles on the surface of the curse that Hook enacted with Merlin's heart, she drops the dream catchers making the smoke bubble up and over the lips of the cauldron it was contained it "Or worse... you will".
Holding Hook in her arms, the thunder and lighting in the purple smoke rolled out into the diner engulfing the diner residents as well Camelot to take them back to Storybrooke after weeks away.
Finding the dream catchers in the clock tower, Emma and Henry returned the pieces of decorations to their respective owners gathered in the mayors offers including the one Hook had used to take her own only hours ago. John and Anastasia has joined the group stood with Tom and MJ as they eyes the woman who had taken the redheaded assassin only minutes after giving birth to her second child.
"And we're meant to believe you're gonna give back our memories, just like that?" Merida asked the group as she stood next to the blonde assassin who looked like she was more likely to stab the Dark One in front of her than to trust her word again.
"We can trust her" Henry tells his family as John Smith glances over to his son to see him nervously fiddling with the dream catcher in his hands. But he believed the younger teen that he saw as his brother more than the woman that put his little sister in danger.
"Can we?" Regina questioned the woman herself from where she stood.
"Yes" Emma tells her.
Regina: Okay" she replies taking her work. Lifting the catcher in front of them, with a wave of her hand, streams of light flowed back into their head of the memories that had been taken from them in the attempt to hide what Emma had to do to save both Hook and Amelia.
The sixteen year old had to re-live the moment he had to take a life for the first time. The blonde assassin remembered how she drowned trying to get the Crimson Crown. The Captain had to re-live the moment he saw the look of hurt and betrayal on his first loves face as he stopped them from taking Excalibur from Arthur. And the former Queen had to recall the moment she had to say goodbye to her soulmate in the candle-lit diner, before leaving her to slip away to Valhalla after drinking two vials of her healing tonic.
Jolting out of the forgotten memories, the former Queen blinked back the tears of remembering the first time her love had 'died' at the hands of Arthur and her sister. Of how powerless she felt at that moment.
"Emma, what's wrong?" David voice brought her out of those agonizing moments she thought she had lost her love once again.
"I remember" she simply tells them "I know what he's doing. I know what they are doing".
Stood at the edge of the lake with her Dark One and the apparition of the Darkness that had taken a hold of the pirate next to her in the former of Rumpelstiltskin. Juno held the Apple in her hands after so long without it, she wasn't going to chance it leaving her side for a second.
"Congratulations" the darkness tells the Dark Captain "You didn't completely fail. You returned from your duel with exactly the right ingredients for our plan".
"The blood of a man who'd been to hell and back" Juno ells him "Rumplestiltskin has done what few can claim. He died, and then he returned. This pond holds a portal to the underworld itself".
"This is where the fury tried to drag your vessel to hell" Hook reminded the deity next to him "I thought the portal only appeared when the moon reaches its zenith" he voiced to his maker.
"For a Fury perhaps. But it's always existed. You just have to know how to open it" she says as the darkness points to his bloodstained hook. The hook stained with the blood of her former Dark One.
Stepping forward Hook crouches down and washes the blood off his hook before the whole pond pulsates, turning the body of water into blood as a deep hiss is heard from the other-side of the bloody pond as a boat made from bones made its appearance through the white smoke that danced across the surface with hooded figures huddled within as a wide smirk slowly grew on Juno's face seeing her plan finally coming to life in front of her.
"Bloody hell" the Captain drawled out seeing the boat in the distance.
"That's exactly where that came from" the darkness giggle from his left. The boat came to stop in the middle of the lake as a lone hooded figure wearing a gold mask step out and make her ways across the water towards the living Dark One and her old friend.
Stepping forward Hook met the figure with a helping hand, assisting the figure onto dry land. Removing her mask and hood Nimue made revealed herself to the newest Dark One in front of her.
"Nimue" Hook greeted the first Dark One, with a nod of acknowledgment, Nimue turned to the woman who made her who she was.
"Juno" she breathes out, greeting her maker with a fond smile like it was only yesterday they had met in the village "We're here. All of us, as promised, in the flesh. And now it's time to get to work, to do what Dark Ones do best... snuff out the light" she says looking back at the number of Dark One's that filled the boat behind her.
"Welcome to Storybrooke Nimue" Juno replied with a smirk on her lips that would be the last thing the mortals on this land would see.
AN: HELLO THERE!
One chapter to go until Season 5B!
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