Rumplestiltskin's Pov

"Hello Dark One," a femine voice sounds from across my shop.

My head whips around, as two figures magic into my shop.

A tall woman stands in the middle of my shop. Less than half my age, maybe only 26 by her appearance, but I would recognize her anywhere.

Her wavy, chocolate hair falls to below her waist. Her cheekbones jut out of her face, sharp and rigid. Large, vibrant, circle earrings hang from her earlobes. Her eyebrows are a thick dark brown color and her eyelashes reach over the top of them, like spidery webs.

Her dark purple lips match the sheen of the gown she wears. The dress, an off the shoulder midnight purple dress, with black lace crawling up her body. It fits to her slim figure. A grand crown fits her head and frames her face. Large amethysts poke out amongst the layers of crystals and diamonds.

A large and muscular man stands next to her, stern and calculating. I know him from Emma and Killian's little search party a while back. Clint Eyler.

The woman smirks in my direction.

I scowl.

The pieces fit together finally.

"I hear a rumor that the mighty dark one lost his toy?" the woman saying playingly.

She scoffs, walking closer to me, her bodyguard-like companion following behind her.

She stands in front of the cashier desk, but it still feels like her presence is suffocating me.

"Not so powerful now are we Rumple," she laughs.

Her laugh, vile and cruel.

"Well I have come to return your dagger. I hope you don't mind, I had to borrow it for a while," she says, my dagger appearing in her hand.

She tosses it on the glass table.

"You took it," I sneer, glaring my own daggers into her soul.

"Did you think anyone else could? You thought that the past would never catch up to you," she laughs heartily again, "Ha. Pathetic, you thought I would never escape that prison. Foolish. Even with the dark one power, you can't stop cruel, unyielding fate."

I can't think of anything to say through my anger.

"Oh. And I haven't yet had the time to congratulate you, due to the little curse you put on me. Smart touch by giving him the spell. That did keep me occupied for a while, but did you really think that I wouldn't find a way out, Rumple?"

I don't move my expression. I really thought that curse would keep her away for good.

"Oh," she looks at me pityingly, "You did. Well I don't know how I would feel when my power's were limited to such a tiny weapon, such as your dagger. That sounds awful. But you see there's a new type of freedom when your powers are only limited by your imagination, and it is so freeing. I can tell you from my own experience."

"So what are you going to do to me? Clearly you have some pent up anger against me," I say through gritted teeth.

"Oh you have no idea how long I have waited to destroy you," she growls, waltzing around the shop like she owned it, "But it is going to be a slow miserable destruction. You took everything from me. Everything that was meant to be mine and threw me into that terrible little country to fend for myself. I was so young, so naive but I learned so much about power there and for that I am grateful to you."

"I'm sure that gratitude is necessary then for the encouragement I gave you, maybe we can come to a deal," I try to get myself out of this conflict.

"Oh. Encouragement isn't the word I would use for that. And look at you. The dark one. Even with all your power, you still are a coward. Your deals are just a way to avoid the dark and painful. You're a coward Rumplestiltskin. But that dark and painful part of me is what makes me so much stronger than you. And that's why you are going to suffer so much," she smiles evilly, unafraid of me.

"You will never win. You see we have one thing that can stop any villain. You can try, but you will fail. I can give you that," I say.

"Oh, you mean the savior? How oblivious you are? You see, I have already taken care of my little savior problem. I did the one thing even you and our mother couldn't do. I took the savior out of the equation. And now the beginning of your suffering will begin with me taking what was rightfully mine back, and doing the thing both you and our mother always dreamed of. Taking over Storybrooke and becoming the most power being in all the realms," she breaths, her face inching towards mine, "You see you have already lost, no more savior, now more light magic, and no more loopholes, Rumple."

"What did you do to Emma?" I ask, shocked.

She gasps, "You don't know, do you? How can you not put this all together? Are you that daft brother?" she looks at me questiongly, "She is under the same curse you put me under. And I don't make mistakes like you do. I added a special little clause to this version of the curse. So it will never be broken. I added you to the equation, so the only way they are breaking that curse is if you give your powers to me. No loopholes Rumple. Not this time. So I'd think that I have won."

She exhales quickly, smiling joyfully, "I really have bested you haven't I? Well I love this feeling."

I frown, glaring at the women in her pride.

"We will still find a way to defeat you," I reply, trying to regain control of my anger, but it's a hard thing to resist in her presence.

"Hope isn't going to save you now Rumple or your powers. I have won and you are just a weak little hobble foot again compared to me. It was always going to be me who defeated you and mother knew it. That I was more powerful. That's why she chose me," she smirks at me, staring deeply into my soul.

I grind my teeth together, trying to refrain from doing something that I regret.

"Oh I think it would be wise of you to tell your wife and son of all your lies to them, before I can. And then you will really be a coward and they will realize it, just like Milah did," she says, turning to walk out.

She's winning. She knows she got to me. Exploited my weaknesses. It angers me more.

"You know he never loved you. You know he was just being selfish, that's why it was so easy for him to trap you," I say, the anger finally talking.

Her hair immediately floats around her. I've hit the soft spot. The magic vibrates around her. She growls in anger. I have finally gotten under her skin.

She vanishes and appears by my side, grabbing my neck and choking me.

"Love is weakness, Yzma," I gasp through her fingers on my skin.

"I never loved him either," she says, emotions rapidly firing in her eyes.

"Then why did you allow him to put that curse on you?" I ask, tempting her.

She glares at me, "You are digging yourself deeper, Rumple. It was you who manipulated him. You ruined him. You should be terrified of me and what I can do. And I think you are, so do what you are best at and run away before I make your life worse than it will be if you keep your mouth shut."

Purple mist swirls in the air, coming from Yzma's fingers. The mist enters my chest painfully, burning at contact.

"You've been marked. I think you know what that means. So I would be careful," Her fingers dig into my neck, and then her and Clint disappear.

I gasp collapsing against the wall, clutching my chest. The purple magic swirls in my chest, before residing by my heart. It curls and mutates to form a small symbol of an Aztec ruin. It flashes, burning into my skin, leaving a fresh burn of the symbol on my chest, red and inflamed.

I need to get to Charmings.

Killian's Pov

Henry runs into the room, gasping at the sight of his mother.

"Henry," I look at him, seeing the pain in his face, "I'm sorry. I couldn't.."

Henry barrels into me, hugging me.

I just wrap my arms around him.

He cries into my chest. He is almost my height, but at this moment he looks less like an almost full grown adult and more like a scared little boy. His face breaking my heart into millions of more pieces.

"Henry," I come down to his height, "Henry. Your mother loved you so much. She would want to be here if she could. And we are going to make it through this okay. You and me together okay, we can still be the family your mother wanted."

"Why did she have to go?" Henry cries.

"I don't know lad. I'm asking myself the same question and I truly don't son," I hold his shoulder tightly.

"I love you dad. Just don't leave me too," Henry hugs me again, and I hold him close in my arms.

"I promise. I'm going to be here, okay," I hug him tighter, his words shattering what's left of my resolve, making me want to break down right then and there.

"How about we go see your sister, lad?" I say wiping away my own tears.

He nods, blinking back tears.

Henry and I walk out of the room, leaving Emma's body behind. I tell myself I need to be there for Henry and be strong, but all I want to do is walk back into the room and wait with her until she comes back to me, but I know that's not going to happen.

Charming and Snow wait on the other side of the door. Snow silently cries into David's chest. Regina waits beside them, giving Henry and I a minute alone.

"Killian," Snow sees me, pulling me in for another hug, "I'm so sorry. I know this isn't how any of us wanted this day to go."

I nod, as David gives me a hug as well. I see tears in the corner of his eyes, but I can tell he's trying to be strong for all of us, feeling the need to hold us all up, when he is just another father who lost a daughter. He deserves to feel and express his feelings as well, but I know the feeling of needing to stay strong all too well.

"Well we all lost someone we love today, but we gained someone new to our family. I was just going to take the lad down to see her," I wrap my arm around Henry's shoulder, trying to be there for him.

"Yes I think that's a good idea. Maybe it will brighten today," Snow brushes her tears away.

We walk in a sad silence on the way to the nicu. The doctors decided to run some tests, trying to see if what happened to Emma had affected the baby as well, so far she was a perfectly healthy six pound baby.

We walked up to the glass. Only three babies lay in the small plastic bins, so we easily find the one labeled "Jones baby." I smile for the first time since I held her the first time this morning, at the little child squirming in her pink blanket.

I chuckle, as I glance at her, so much of her already reminding me of Emma.

I look around at our small group. All of us have bags under our eyes and tear stained cheeks, but this child has brought the littlest of smiles to all our faces.

"There's your sister, lad." I point to the little baby.

"She looks like mom," he says smiling, "I can't believe I have a sister."

He puts his hand up to the window.

"I know. She is going to be our little light to get us through this. I can just tell," I say to him.

"Yeah she has already brought so much hope, when she doesn't even know it," he says.

"I guess she has, huh?" I say.

We look around at everyone smiling at the gorgeous little girl.

"Hope?" I repeat again, "I like it."

I smile to myself, having an idea.

"Henry, would you like to hold her? I'm sure I can convince the doctors to let you in," I say, smirking.

"Really?" Henry asks excitedly.

"Aye," I say grabbing his shoulder and leading him to the NICU entrance.

I convince one of the nurses and she lets us into the room.

I pick up the small bundle, my hook still not attached to my wrist. I put the baby carefully into Henry's arms.

His face lights up.

"Henry, meet your sister. Hope Sawyer Jones," I say patting him on the shoulder.

"Hope?" he looks up, surprised.

"Aye, lad. You came up with it. She is our little hope. She is going to get us through the darkest of times," I smile at my son.

"Hi Hope. It's Henry. You're older brother. Don't worry. I am going to protect you. Me and dad will. I love you so much Hope," Henry speaks to his little sister, wiggling his finger in front of her face.

She grabs onto his finger and smiles for the first time. It's a toothless, smirk kind of smile, with her eyes close, but it makes Henry's smile almost double.

It still hurts with Emma gone, but somehow I know we are going to be okay.

"Killian," David calls from the entrance to the NICU, snapping me out of my fantasies, "It's about Emma."

I look up immediately.

"Henry you stay here with your sister," I say, "I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay," he says with uncertainty.

I walk out of the room hurriedly.

Rumple has now joined Snow, David and Regina. His face is grim.

"What is it?" I ask, frantically as soon as Henry is out of earshot.

Rumple speaks first, "Emma isn't dead."

He states and I go dizzy. My wife isn't dead, but I saw her lying unconscious and not breathing. Suddenly hope fills me, but also shocks me.

Emma isn't dead. That's all I need to hear. She's alive.

But how?

And that's a wrap!!! First book of "In The Darkest of Times," is completed! Can't wait for the sequel, you guys!

Also did you catch the reference to this books title? I did that for a reason.

So, I am going to post an acknowledgements chapter no later than tomorrow, so that will have more information about the sequel and such, so go check that out when it comes out. I was just too excited to wait to update this chapter.

Leave as many comments as you can! I love them all.

You guys are awesome!!!!

-pinacolada07