Hello, It's Mrs. Hyde

✧ Ch.28: The Forest & The Deal ✧

The woods were alive with birdsong and golden sunlight filtering through the canopy, dappling the mossy forest floor where Emma Swan walked beside her father. David's flannel sleeves were rolled up as he gestured animatedly with his hands.
"You know," he said with the casual pride of a man who'd been holding onto a family secret, "the real secret to my waffles isn't cinnamon like everyone thinks."
Emma raised a brow, amused. "No?"
He grinned. "Nutmeg."
Emma made a face of playful mock-disbelief. "Nutmeg? Seriously?"
"Just a pinch. Adds warmth without overpowering the vanilla, and now that you know my secret, you can make them for Killian" he said with a wink.
She chuckled, shaking her head. "You are full of surprises. You sure you're okay with Killian moving in?"
David's face turned contemplative for a beat. "At first, I didn't like the idea of a pirate dating my daughter. Then again, I didn't like the idea of my daughter being dragged into this world at all. But..." He glanced at her, smiling softly. "He makes you happy, Em. That's all that matters."
Emma's smile faltered, her steps slowing.
David stopped too. "What's wrong?"
Emma lifted her head, eyes scanning the treeline. "Someone's here."
As if summoned by her words, a voice slithered from between the branches like smoke.
"Well then," Hyde drawled, stepping from the shadows with hands relaxed at his sides and a half-smile curling his lips, "I suppose you've found me."
His dark coat flared slightly with his movement, boots crunching the brittle leaves beneath him as he came into view. His gaze flicked briefly to Emma's phone just as it began to vibrate in her pocket—Killian's name glowing on the screen. At the same moment, a faint buzzing echoed from Hyde's own coat, but he didn't so much as flinch. He had no time to answer it. Not yet.
This part of the plan was time-sensitive.
Emma stepped protectively in front of David, whose hand had instinctively gone to the hilt of his sword.
"What do you want, Hyde?" Emma asked, voice steady.
Hyde stopped just a few feet away, tilting his head slightly as if intrigued by the question.
"The same thing you want," he answered evenly. "To protect what matters most. To shield what's precious from those who dare to harm them."
Emma's brows pinched together. "There's always another way. In this world, we believe in the justice system. You were a warden—you should understand how important that is."
Hyde's lips curved into a dark smile. "I understand it all too well, Miss Swan. And as a warden, I also understand how often the system fails. That's why the death penalty still exists in every realm—hidden beneath layers of civility, sure, but very much alive. And what kind of warden would I be if I didn't carry it out when justice demands it?"
David stepped forward, firm. "You don't get to decide that. I'm the sheriff here, and if you have evidence, we need—"
Hyde's hand snapped out, shoving David hard in the chest. The force sent him flying backward into a tree trunk. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
"Dad!" Emma cried, dropping to her knees beside him, hands hovering over his chest. Her eyes burned with panic and fury as she turned to Hyde. "You didn't have to do that!"
Hyde's face remained impassive, though his breathing had quickened with purpose. "Didn't I?" he said. "They all made their choices. You, Snow, Regina—every one of you took one look at me and assumed the worst. You called me the monster. You locked me in chains. And when Jessica tried to tell you the truth about Jekyll, you dismissed her. You chose to trust Dr. Jekyll from the very beginning. Because he looked safer. Lied softer."
He stepped closer. Emma stood protectively in front of her father, magic flickering faintly in her hand.
"We've suffered enough," Hyde said, his voice lower now. "Jessica. Mary Ellen. Myself. And I will not let the good doctor escape the judgment that is long overdue."
Then, without another word, he turned and sprinted deeper into the forest.
"Hyde!" Emma called after him. "Don't do this! You can't come back from this!"
But he was gone.
Seconds later, from behind a thick tree, a blur of red smoke coiled upward and out stepped Rumplestiltskin—the Dark One himself. In his hand, clutched tightly, was a curved blade that shimmered ominously: His own dagger doused with the soul separating serum which upon impact should kill Hyde for good.
In a flash, he lunged.
The dagger plunged deep into Hyde's chest, and Rumple twisted it with deliberate cruelty.
"Is this how you thought your story would end, Mr. Hyde?" Rumple sneered, his voice practically dripping with venom.
Hyde gasped theatrically, staggering back—but then his lips curled.
"This..." he said with a groan that turned into a quiet laugh, "is exactly how I wanted it to go."
He reached down and slowly pulled the dagger from his chest. Blood didn't pour. No wound remained. Only the stunned face of the Dark One stared back.
"That's... impossible," Rumple hissed. "The serum—it should've made you vulnerable. Mortal."
Hyde smirked, flipping the blade in his hand casually before pulling a small vial from the inside of his coat. The liquid inside shimmered with deep crimson.
"You took the first batch," Hyde explained, amused. "The one that didn't work. I made sure Jekyll left it for you. I took the real serum and kept it safe."
Rumplestiltskin's hands curled into fists. "What do you want?"
Hyde stepped closer, his smirk fading into something colder—calculated. "Peace. For both of us. You help me kill Jekyll, once and for all, and in return I give you back the dagger. No more games. No more deals. Just... mutual avoidance for the sake of the women we both love."
Rumple raised an eyebrow. "You want me to trust that your newfound peace isn't just a lull before the storm?"
"I don't want a storm, Dark One," Hyde said with a shrug. "I want to live my life—quietly, without you trying to kill me, or me... doing the same. And let's be honest: your wife and my assistant are becoming rather fond of one another. Makes conflict inconvenient."
Rumplestiltskin considered this, exhaling through his nose. "Fine. We have a deal."
Hyde held the dagger a moment longer before tucking it back into his coat. "Not yet," he said smoothly. "First, you take me to Belle and Jessica. They deserve to see this end as much as we do."
Rumple groaned in visible annoyance. "You're exhausting."
"And you're overdue for humility. Shall we?"
Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers.
A puff of maroon smoke surrounded them—and they vanished