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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
OPERATION MONGOOSE, PT. 5
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THERE WAS BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT, AND THEN TERESA HOLMES FOUND HERSELF LAYING ON THE FLOOR OF SNOW AND DAVID'S APARTMENT. She blinked multiple times before sitting up. As one of her arms held herself up, her other hand immediately went to her abdomen where she had, ironically, been shot and killed with one of her own arrows, by Regina of all people.

She scrambled to her feet and looked around. It was then that she spotted Snow and David helping each other off the floor. "What the hell...?"

"Yea tell me about it," David mumbled.

Teresa's eyes then widened when she remembered that she had shot both Emma and Henry. "Oh my god..."

"What?" Snow asked as she recognized the panicked tone in her friends voice.

"I shot Henry and Emma."

Snow's eyes widened. "What?"

Before anything else could be said, the door flung open and in came a frantic Emma Swan. Teresa immediately looked to the blonde's foot and sighed in relief when she found her foot to be completely fine. Which reassured Teresa that Henry was also just fine.

"Emma," Snow smiled.

"Where is he? Where's Hook?" Emma asked.

David pointed toward the kitchen, where Hook had been rummaging through Henry's bag. "He was there, right before we got dragged away."

Emma ran over to the kitchen and when she didn't find Hook, a frown formed in her face. "Everyone reappeared where they were before this whole mess started." Her face fell in despair. "No..."

"What?" Teresa asked. "What happened to him in that...place?"

Emma whipped around after hearing her voice and sighed in relief. Her face brightened, but her eyes swam with confusion. "He died...and so did you. How you here, but he..."

"Yeah, sorry about the mess." At the sound of a new voice, they look up and find Hook in the upper floor of the apartment. "I really needed to find that book and I'm usually a bit tidier."

Emma bolted up the steps, Teresa could have sworn she flew up them she went so fast. "Killian!" 

Teresa smirked when she seen Emma tackle him in hug, which, she assumed, caused them to fall onto the bed since there was no noise of them hitting the floor.

Snow turned to Teresa. "You died?"

Teresa nodded and folded her arms over her chest. A smirk then formed on her face. "By an arrow, can you believe that? Not exactly the way an archer wants to go."

David laughed. "No, I expect it wouldn't be."

A few moments later, Emma and Hook walked down the stairs and the group left the apartment to meet up with everyone else.

Outside, they found The Apprentice speaking with a shocked looking Henry and Regina. As they approached, Emma was the one who asked what was wrong, which caused Henry to blush furiously.

"Apparently, Henry has a soulmate."

Emma's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

The Apprentice smiled when his eyes landed on Teresa. As he spoke, he turned back to face Emma. "A prophecy was made long ago that two souls would be bound forever — soulmates, if you will. It is said that these two souls would share the greatest and purest love of all. Even more so than Snow White and her prince. Your son is a part of this prophecy."

"Well, who's his soulmate?" Snow asked.

The Apprentice turned his head until his gaze landed on Teresa Holmes.

Teresa's lips parted in shock and her eyes widened like saucers. As soon as everyone looked at her, Teresa could feel her cheeks burn with the color pink. Her heart was pounding so loud that she could hear it in her ears.

"The archer!?" Regina exclaimed. She then laughed humorlessly. "My son is sixteen, he's not old enough for love yet, let alone with her."

Teresa snapped out of her shocked state to throw a glare at Regina. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, offended, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It means — "

"Regina," Emma said forcefully, cutting her off. "Are you absolutely sure Henry and Teresa are the soulmates in this prophecy? Teresa was dead until I — "

"Until you brought her through Zelena's portal? Yes, I'm well aware. As The Apprentice, it is my job to ensure that the soulmates meet. It was quite a journey, bringing them together, considering the different years that which they were born. You were always meant to bring her to this realm, Emma. They had to meet."

Teresa was in shock. Sure, she had thought Henry was attractive and a great friend since she arrived, but to be his actual soulmate? It just didn't seem real. Now she understood what Isaac was saying in the cabin. Everything was so clear now.

"So Henry and Teri were always meant to fall in love?" Snow asked.

"That is correct."

All eyes turned to Henry and Teresa, who both were blushing from the attention.

"I told you, Swan, didn't I?" Hook smirked. "The young ones fancy one another."

Teresa's sharp eyes turned to Hook. "You wanna keep that other hand, pirate?" Her threat only made his smirk widen.

➳

Henry was still in quite a shock after learning that he was bound to someone forever. Especially since that person was his friend...and his grandparents friend. He always did think he had a crush on her, but he just assumed those were his hormones making him think he liked his friend in that way. And now? Now he knew that those feelings were very much real. He had a crush on Teresa Holmes, and it wasn't just some crush either, apparently they were in love.

He sat in his mother's mayor office, with the Author's quill in his left hand as he stared at the two storybooks before him; Once Upon a Time and Heroes and Villains.

"It is tempting, is it not?" The Apprentice said as he approached Henry. "The power of the quill."

"But I just keep thinking, maybe I could use it just one more time? To bring back my dad?"

"Henry, not even an Author can bring back the dead," he said while pulling out the chair and sitting beside him. "No matter who how much they might wish it."

"But Hook and Teresa were dead and I brought them back to life."

"Hook and Teresa's deaths was never real. It was a fiction created by Isaac, and now, thanks to you, that fiction has been erased." The Apprentice leaned forward and opened Heros and Villains, which is now entirely blank. "You see? All gone. But your father, Baelfire, died in the real world, and that, sadly, can never be undone. The best way to show your love for those who are gone is to tell their stories."

He leaned forward and turned the pages of Once Upon a Time to the illustration of Snow White and Teresa Holmes walking through the woods. Henry couldn't help it when his heart quickened at the sight of the illustrated version of Teresa. "Now this book, these stories can never be erased because they are more than stories. They are the truth, and the truth is what you must write. I hope that you can resist the temptation of the quill. The power to change reality is only outweighed by the cost."

Henry thought for a moment before snapping the quill in two pieces. "No one should have that much power."

The Apprentice smiled. "It would seem that this time we have finally found the right person for the job."

"Can I ask you something?" Henry questioned after a short moment of silence.

"Does this question regard a certain blonde archer?"

Henry blushed, a silent answer to his question. "I-Is it true? That one day we'll...b-be in love?"

"You've both been in love the minute you were born and will he until the day you both die."

"But why us?"

"That is very good question, Henry, but I'm afraid I do not have the answer you desire. I can only assume it is because of who you are. You have the heart of the truest believer and are the grandchild of true love."

"Well, I mean, I can get that. But why Teresa?"

He smiled. "Teresa always knew there was a piece of her missing. When Snow White came into her life, Teresa felt drawn to her. That draw was you, Henry. Her soul knew Snow White would bear the child that would soon birth you. Fate has always drawn you both together."

➳

Teresa sat beside Snow in a booth at Granny's Diner. Across from them were Hook and Emma, with David having pulled up a chair next to Snow. Baby Neal was in Snow's arms.

David heaved a sigh. "I didn't mean to kill you. Though, to be fair, I didn't have a heart."

Snow gave her husband a look. "So now it's my fault?" She turned to Hook. "What I think he means to say is we are sorry."

"Oh, you don't need to be sorry, though I do intend to hold it over your heads for a very long time."

Teresa smirked. "Speaking of which, you and Henry were there." She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the booth. "Who was it that killed me?"

Emma bit her lip before answering. "Regina."

Teresa rolled her eyes. "Of course! Even with me as the villain, she somehow gets to kill me. Weren't the villains supposed to win in Isaac's book?"

"Well yea, but he must not have wanted you and Henry to end up you and Henry." Emma then sighed. "I think we all know what happened in that world is not real. Although, seeing you guys as real villains made me sorry for holding a grudge against you for so long."

Emma got up and hugged both her parents. As she did, she spotted Lilith sitting alone. "Can you give me a second?" Emma said as she pulled back.

Before she got answer, she was already walking away and toward Lilith.

"So..." Hook started, turning to face Teresa.

Teresa already knew where he was going and glared at him. "Don't even."

"What?" he smirked.

"Yes, apparently Henry and I are meant to be, but that doesn't mean I like him."

Even Snow and David both gave her looks this time.

"Stop looking at me like that," Teresa said, a blush soon forming into her face, which made Snow grin.

"You never used to blush until now," she stated with a smirk.

Teresa let out a groan. "Oh my god, if we're going to keep talking about this, I'm leaving. Scoot out."

"No, no!" Snow exclaimed. "Sorry, we'll stop."

Suddenly, the door was frantically pulled open and Belle came rushing in, out of breath. "Rumple, his heart — he said it's almost gone. He said we're in danger."

➳

Immediately they had all went to Gold's Shop, where Teresa, Henry, Emma, Snow, David, Hook and Belle were standing and watching as The Apprentice held the box which contained the Sorcerer's Hat. With it still in his hands, he bent over the barely living Gold.

"He tried to use the Hat to free himself from the dagger."

"This is not unlike that," The Apprentice said in response to Hook. "We are pulling the darkness from him and containing it."

"Does that mean his heart will be healed?" Belle asked, worry laced within her words.

"Perhaps, if the strength is there. This is more dark power than a heart has ever been asked to contain."

"Do what you need to do," Emma said.

The Apprentice gave a nod before reciting the incantation of the spell. "Purest evil, blackest bloom, darkness, too, can find its doom." He reached into Gold's chest and pulled out his heart. Teresa wasn't at all shocked to see how black it was, she knew he was the Dark One and has terribly things.

The Apprentice then opened the Hat and aligned them in his hands, whilst continuing the chant. "Never dying, but contained, bound inside the falcon's chamber, shorn of anger, thornless danger, there forever to remain."

Suddenly, a bright golden light soars out from within the Hat and the darkness in Gold's heart unravelled like thread as it swooped into the hat.

It was then that the name Rumplestiltskin disappeared from the Dark One's dagger.

The spell was complete, the darkness is inside the Hat, as The Apprentice lowered the now pure white heart back into Gold's chest.

Belle immediately lurched forward.  "He's barely breathing."

"Rumplestiltskin was the Dark One for centuries. His return to the man he used to be will not be easy," he said while casting a preservation spell on the man unconscious man. "This will preserve him, until we discern if we can help him."

"If?"

Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound emerged from the Sorcerer's Hat.

"Everybody step back!"

Teresa jumped back, Snow immediately gripping her shoulders and pulling her back even further. David did the same with Henry.

They watched with wide eyes as the darkness broks free from the Hat and spiraled at the Apprentice. Their eyes widened even further when it shoved itself down his throat.

Emma was quick to spring into action; she used her magic to force the darkness out of the man, but lost control over it as it slithered out the mail slot of the door. The Apprentice fell to the ground, his eyes closing.

"Mom, Dad, go after it! I'll be right there!" Emma ordered. The two ran out the door, and Teresa was quick to follow after her friend.

When they got outside, they found absolutely no sight of the darkness.

"What the hell?" Teresa tucked her hair behind her ear. "It was just here."

After some more searching, they still cannot find it. Soon, Emma and Hook join them, Emma holding the Dark One's dagger.

"Where is it?!"

"We don't know," David replied.

"It just disappeared into the night," Teresa further explained.

Regina and Robin then walked over, noticing the panicked looks on their faces. "Hey, what's going on?" Regina asked.

"The Dark One -- it's no longer tethered to the Crocodile."

Regina's eyes widened. "What?! Where the hell is it?!"

"It hasn't gone anywhere. The Darkness...it's surrounding us." Just as Emma said that, Regina let out a gasp as the Darkness began to circle her like a cyclone. She was trapped in the center of it.

"Regina!" Robin shouted, in both fear and and worry. He then turned to Emma. "What's it doing?"

"What darkness does — snuffing out the light and the dark," Teresa replied.

"I'm not gonna let it." Robin ran forward to help the woman he loves, only to be repelled by the Darkness and thrown back to Hook and David's feet. The pair helped him up.

"That's not gonna work on this thing!" Emma said. "The Apprentice told me we have to do what the Sorcerer did! We have to tether it to a person to contain it!" Emma then began to walk toward the twister of Darkness.

"Emma!"

"No! There has to be another way!" Regina shouted.

"There isn't," Emma said. "You've worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed!" She stepped closer.

"Emma!"

"No!"

Emma turned and gave her parents a light smile. "You figured out how to take the darkness out of me once. You can do it again, as heroes."

Hook ran forward until he was standing right beside her. "Emma! Emma, please! Don't do this!" he pleaded.

Emma gave him a smile. "I love you." She then pushed him away and held up the dagger. The Darkness shifted its focus from Regina to Emma.

Once Regina was free, Robin ran over to her side. His arms wrapped around her as he made her take a few steps away.

The Dark One's curse ensnared Emma, causing the blonde to groan as it circled around her like a tornado. Not much longer did the Darkness disappear, along with Emma.

The Dark One's dagger fell to the ground with a clatter, revealing but one name.

Emma Swan.

A/N: I was always going to keep it Dark Swan, I was just trying to have you guys think otherwise 😏😏

Part Three is upon us! Are you ready for some Dark Swan and #ArchBeliever feels?