Peace and happiness washed over Storybrooke. A warm, light feeling in all their hearts, for, once more, the heroes had prevailed. Only this time, it was only one hero that everyone had to thank for being saved. One brave soul that had stood his ground, looked the villain in the eye, and didn't cower with quaking fear. An optimistic heart of a hero that nobody would have expected to be so brave. And that person was none other than fifteen-year-old Henry Mills.

　　He had saved everyone from the horrible life they were forced to live within the pages of Isaac's newly written book, Heroes and Villains, by using a magical key to go inside the book so that he could find the Savior and so that Emma Swan could save the day and return everything to the way things were supposed to be. And though he had rescued his birth mother from the tower which she was being held in, that did not happen. Instead, it was he who defeated Isaac, and in the most unexpected way.

　　During the final battle in the village of Nottingham, Regina Mills had bravely sacrificed her own life when faced with danger. She had saved the life of the son that she couldn't even remember, and was moments away from death as Robin Hood held her hand and declared his infinite love for her. The woman had been prepared to die but it was Henry Mills that made it so that wouldn't happen.

　　Something had called to the boy, whispering his name, drawing him in, and when he looked down at the ground, Henry had noticed that the Author's pen was glowing a soft blue. In that moment, Henry had bent down and claimed the pen for himself and by doing so, was declared the new Author. By using the blood of this world's Savior, for he had no ink to write with, Henry wrote a new ending to Isaac's book. Thanks to the Hero Regina's brave sacrifice, he had written, Isaac's villainous work had been undone.

　　And then, just like that, everyone was back in Storybrooke and sharing joyous reunions with their friends and family.

　　Not long after, everyone met up at Granny's Diner to celebrate the victory. But it was during their celebration that Belle had come storming inside with troubling news. According to the bookworm, Gold's heart was withering away and, in result, they were all in danger from the darkness that lived within his heart.

　　Immediately, they had all went to Gold's shop, where Teresa, Henry, Emma, Snow White, David, Killian, and Belle watched as The Apprentice held a box which contained the Sorcerer's hat. With it still in his hands, the elderly man bent over the barely living, unconscious Gold, as Belle anxiously bit her lip. She was kneeling on the other side of the dying Dark One.

　　"He tried to use the hat to free himself from the dagger," realized Killian Jones.

　　"This is not unlike that," The Apprentice said as he prepared the spell. "We are pulling the darkness from him and containing it."

　　"Does that mean his heart will be healed?" Belle asked worriedly. The brunette was on the verge of tears and was trying so hard to keep her emotions at bay so that she could focus on what really mattered right now: saving the love of her life.

　　"Perhaps, if the strength is there," he told her gravely, while turning to look at the unconscious Gold. "This is more dark power than the hat's ever been asked to contain."

　　"Do what you need to do," Emma told him, determined to keep the man alive no matter the cost. Aside from her son, Gold was the only connection to her first love that she had left, and she wasn't sure she could handle losing someone so soon after Neal. More importantly, she couldn't let her son lose more of his family.

　　The Apprentice gave the Savior a nod before he placed his hand over Gold's heart and recited the incantation of the spell. "Purest evil, blackest bloom, darkness, too, can find its doom." He reached into Gold's chest and effortlessly ripped out the man's heart.

Everyone's heart was red, shimmering bright with goodness, and maybe, depending on the person, it would have swirls of blackness within. But this heart, the heart of the Dark One, was unlike any heart any of them have ever seen before. There was no sign of goodness left inside the man. No red, no light. Only black. Only darkness.

　　Teresa Holmes wasn't at all shocked to see how black it was, like some of them appeared to be. She knew that dying man was the Dark One and that he had done terrible things in his long life. She witnessed some of that violence herself in the Enchanted Forest. Back when the man's skin sparkled with terror and his teeth were stained and his clothes resembled that of crocodile skin leather.

　　The Apprentice opened the hat after a moment and aligned both the hat and the heart level in his hands as he rose to a stance, still chanting the spell. "Never dying, but contained, bound inside the falcon's chamber, shorn of anger, thornless danger, there forever to remain."

　　A golden light soared from the hat as the Apprentice finished the incantation of the spell. Everyone blinked, eyes having to adjust to the sudden brightness that almost resembled that of the sun. Then, the darkness within Gold's heart unraveled like a piece of thread as it swooped forward into the Sorcerer's hat. It was then that the name Rumplestiltskin disappeared from the Dark One's dagger, leaving the smooth steel of the blade empty and, for once, beautiful in its natural form. Teresa Holmes had to admit the blade was elegantly made. She always wondered what it would be like to hold it in her hands and wield it for herself, but to do that would mean becoming the Dark One, and that was something she would never want.

　　A moment later, the spell was complete. The darkness was sealed safely inside the Sorcerer's hat, leaving Gold's now shimmering red heart pure and without a hint of darkness swirling within. The Apprentice lowered the heart back into Gold's chest, but nothing happened. Belle became worried and her eyes widened when it dawned on her, "He's barely breathing."

　　"Rumplestiltskin was the Dark One for centuries," The Apprentice rose to his feet. "His return to the man he used to be will not be easy." He waved his hand over the man's unconscious body, and a shimmer of silver enveloped Gold. "This will preserve him, until we discern if we can help him."

　　Belle looked up at him, heartbroken. "If?"

　　Before the Apprentice had a chance to speak, the Sorcerer's hat glowed a bright golden color and there was a loud whooshing sound, like a strong wind. Their eyes widened and everyone instinctively took a step back, knowing that wasn't supposed to happen.

　　"Everybody, step back!" Emma exclaimed, protectively holding up an arm in front of the people that she cared about.

　　Teresa jumped back, and Snow White grasped the teenage girl by the shoulders to pull her even further away from the Sorcerer's hat as David did the same thing with their grandson, Henry.

　　They watched with wide eyes and racing hearts as the darkness that was supposed to be safely contained within the hat broke free. It emerged in sweeping clouds of pitch black tendrils and enveloped the Apprentice. Nobody moved an inch as it spiraled around the white-haired man. Not even when the tendrils of darkness crawled down his throat and caused a choking sound to fall from his lips as his eyes turned black.

　　The choked noise seemed to snap Emma Swan out of her shocked state, for she was quick to spring into action and save the man before it was too late. The Savior used her magic to force the darkness out of The Apprentice, and the man fell to the ground because of exhaustion and pain. But the darkness was too strong, and she lost control over it as it slithered out of the mail slot of the front door and into the world.

　　"Mom, Dad, go after it," Emma ordered. "Go. I'll be right there!" The couple ran out the door without hesitation, and Teresa was quick to follow them, shouting, "I'll help!"

　　When they got outside, they found no sign of the darkness. It was as if it vanished into thin air. Teresa huffed, "What the hell? It was just here." After searching around more of the town, the trio still came up short. Soon, Henry, Emma, and Killian joined them, Emma grasping the Dark One's dagger in her hand.

　　"Where is it?" The Savior asked.

　　"We don't know," David replied.

　　"It just disappeared into the night," Snow White explained.

　　"We checked the entire block," Teresa added. "And nothing."

　　Regina and Robin, having been on a moonlit walk, came over when they noticed the panicked looks on their faces. "Hey, what's going on?" Regina asked with a worried frown.

　　"The Dark One, it's no longer tethered to the crocodile."

　　Regina's eyes widened, and she began spinning in a slow circle like the others were, trying to locate the darkness. "What? Where the hell is it?"

　　"It hasn't gone anywhere," Emma realized as she peered up at the sky. "The darkness, it's surrounding us." As if on cue, Regina let out a gasp of surprise when the darkness enveloped her, spinning around her body like a sinister cyclone made up of only evil ─ and she was trapped in the center of it.

　　"Regina!" Robin shouted, both scared and worried. He turned to Emma, his heart racing in his chest at the possibility of losing the woman that he loved to the darkness. "What's it doing?"

　　"What darkness does. It's sniffing out the light," Emma said, causing their eyes to widen.

　　Robin shook his head, "I'm not gonna let it." Before any of them could stop him, the archer had ran forward to help the woman he loved.

　　"Robin!" Teresa screamed, running forward to stop him, only to be held back by Snow White. But thankfully, her adopted father didn't get pulled inside the darkness and was instead repelled by its sinister power and throw away from Regina Mills. Robin landed by Killian and David, and the men helped him back onto his feet as Teresa let out a breath of relief.

　　"That's not gonna work on this thing! The Apprentice told me we have to do what the Sorcerer did." Emma paused for a moment, eyes falling to the Dark One dagger that was still in her hand. "We have to tether it to a person to contain it!" Knowing what she must do, Emma began to walk toward the cyclone of darkness that was devouring Regina with each passing second.

　　"Emma!" shouted the woman's parents.

　　"No!" Regina shouted at Emma, stopping the Savior in her tracks. "There has to be another way," she insisted as the darkness continued to swoop around her, and yet, the former Evil Queen knew that there wasn't. Someone had to claim the darkness, and it seemed to everyone in the street that Emma Swan was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

　　Henry shook his head pleadingly. "Mom, no! Please!"

　　"There isn't. You've worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed!" Emma said to Regina as she took another step closer to the darkness, ignoring their son's pleas.

　　"Emma!"

　　"No!"

　　Emma turned around and gave her parents a small smile. "You figured out how to take the darkness out of me once. You need to do it again. As heroes."

　　Killian was quick to react, running forward and taking her hand in his. He stared pleadingly into her eyes, and as Emma stared back, she could see the fear and love that he felt for her. "Emma! Emma, please! No. Don't do this."

　　"I love you," Emma whispered. When it appeared that she was leaning in give him a kiss, she actually pushed him away, causing the pirate to stumble a few feet and almost lose his balance as she quickly turned around and held up the dagger. In an instant, the darkness shifted its focus from Regina to the Savior.

　　"Mom!" Henry cried. He went running forward, just like Killian and Robin had before, but Teresa took hold of his arm and pulled him back. She kept her arms around him, fisting the front of his jacket in her hand to keep him with her and away from the darkness. "Henry, no," she whispered, her breath fanning his cheek. Their eyes met, and her soft, cerulean stare was enough to keep him right there beside her. She loosened her grip on him, trusting him to not run again.

　　With Regina now free from the darkness, Robin Hood could reach out to her. He ran forward and wrapped his arms around the woman he loved, pulling her away from Emma, away from the darkness. Prepared to never let the darkness touch her again.

　　The Dark One's curse ensnared Emma, emitting a groan from the Savior as it enveloped around her just like it had with Regina. Teresa felt her heart tighten as she watched Emma's face contort in pain, the darkness continuing to consume the woman whole. The Savior may have gotten her shot with an arrow when they first met, but she had also saved her life. If Emma hadn't brought her to Storybrooke, she never would have survived or would have met Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff. She never would have been reunited with her mother or learned the name of her father. She never would have met Henry Mills.

　　From beside her, Teresa felt a sharp squeeze. She looked down and found Henry's hand squeezing her own so tight that his knuckles were white. He was scared, and the fear in his eyes made her heart twist painfully. It was as if she could actually feel his emotions, feel his pain and his fear, his sadness and his love. It was something all too familiar to her, that fear of losing your parent. She frowned, and at that moment, knew that she couldn't allow someone else to lose a parent like she lost both of hers. Especially not Henry. Not when his family meant everything to him. He was her friend, and whether or not she liked to admit it, her soulmate. She would do anything for him.

　　She dropped Henry's hand so fast that he didn't even have time to comprehend what was happening. No one did. None of them could make a move to stop her. It was too late. Teresa was already throwing herself into Emma's body.

　　They hit the pavement hard, Emma cringing at the pain that exploded up and down her spine from the unexpected contact. The Savior had dropped the Dark One's dagger, allowing Teresa to pick it up and claim it for herself. The archer could hear several people shouting her name, but she ignored them as she used her magic to throw all of them backwards, including Emma, who slid painfully across the pavement.

　　Teresa held up the Dark One's dagger a moment later, and just as it had with Emma and Regina, it began to consume her whole. She gritted her teeth in pain when she began to fell the darkness flood through her body, devouring every ounce of light within her soul. She bit her lip to contain a cry, but it fell from her mouth anyway, a heart-wrenching sound of pain that pulled at the heartstrings of people the cared about her most.

　　She could still hear them shouting her name, but the pain was so strong that it blocked out all of their voices and made them sound like distant whispers in the wind. But she didn't have to hear them to know what they were saying. It was obvious with just one look at their faces how scared they were. How worried about her they were. They were afraid to lose her to the darkness that devoured her body. But there was nothing they could do.

　　Her eyes connected with Henry's, and at that moment, she managed a faint smile. Then, the pain came more fiercely, so fiercely that she couldn't contain the cries that burst from her lips. Her knees almost gave out, but she kept herself on her feet with the dagger raised above her head. It felt like someone was cutting away at her soul and filling that void with an endless pit of darkness. The darkness blocked her vision, sweeping around her in a thick vortex and causing her to lose sight of the terrified Henry Mills and the others before everything went completely black.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

a/n: Yikes! It has happened. She's finally here. The Dark Archer! I am very excited for you all to see what I have in store, and I hope that you all enjoy this alternative storyline and are ready to get some very exciting dark Teresa content! Also, this story has been completely pre-written, so there will be regularly weekly updates every Saturday!