Dark Swan Rising

A Dying Swan

Emma's fingers twitched in her sleep. Mary Margaret watched helplessly as her daughter twitched, Emma's eyes darting around underneath her eyelids. Snow started as Regina burst through the doorway.

She turned to her. "Regina, we can't just watch and do nothing as she's going through pain in her sleep," she pleaded.

Regina's eyes narrowed. "We can't wake her up just yet. Not unless we know what we're dealing with." She turned her head to look at Henry, who was gazing sadly at Emma's sleeping form. "Henry!" she called. He stared at her.

"Give us the dreamcatcher. We must know if she can be trusted."

Henry stood up and walked into the kitchen, handing his other mother the dreamcatcher. She held it up to eye level, feeling Snow and Henry squishing her so they could see. Regina moved her hand around the dreamcatcher, and the scenes appeared.

They watched as Emma tried to save the Blue Fairy's life when she found her laying on the ground. They watched as Emma cried at night, thinking about Killian and writing down her frustration about having to pretend to be bad. They watched as Emma joined up with Rumple so that she could stop him and save the town.

When the imaged cleared, they stared in surprise at Emma, who was beginning to stir. She looked around, confusion flickering in her eyes when she saw where she was. Regina watched, observing, as Emma, who still hadn't the three people watching her, rubbed her head.

"How did I get here," she murmured to herself, but they all heard. She closed her eyes hard, trying to think. "I was just walking to Gold's shop to save Killian..."

Finally, she noticed them, her eyes widening in surprise. Regina stepped forward. "Welcome back to the living, Emma."

Emma looked confused. Regina shook her head, silently laughing in her head. Holding up the dreamcatcher, Regina said, "Well, Emma, all your answers lie in this contraption you made in Camelot."

Emma's eyes clouded and she lowered her gaze. "Regina, please. I don't want to take about the past few weeks. Or however long it's been. Weeks as far as I'm aware."

Henry looked pleadingly at Regina. "Please, mom. Give her her memories back. We can work together now that we know the truth. Here, if you're not convinced, put this on her arm." He pulled a cuff out as he spoke.

Regina looked at the cuff in shock. "Henry, where'd you get this..."

Henry responded: "I found it in Rumple's shop."

Emma looked up, some unseen emotion flitting across her eyes. Regina suddenly became cautious. Grabbing the cuff out of Henry's hands, she ran up to Emma and put it on her arm. Before Emma could even open her mouth to ask what was going on, Regina enchanted it so that only someone with magic could take it off.

Picking up the dreamcatcher, which she'd placed on the counter, Regina returned Emma's memories to her. Emma's eyes closed as her memories came back to her. When she opened her eyes, anger and fear lingered in the green depths.

She glared at Henry. "Why would you do this," she hissed. But Regina could tell that Emma was fighting mixed emotions.

Before Henry could utter a word, Emma continued fiercely, "I needed you to believe that I was against you so I could fool Gold. Now that you know, he'll know that I was pretending. And he'll be coming for me..."

Turning her back, Emma lay down again and stared out the window as though she were seeing something that they couldn't. Regina and Snow shared an alarmed glance. Henry pulled out the book made by Isaac and the other authors before sitting on the bed with Emma. She lifted her head and began to read the book.

Something isn't right... Regina thought to herself.

-

A week passed and Emma hadn't spoken a word to anyone since she said that Rumple would come for her. Those words had sent chills down Regina's spine, but she didn't quite believe that Emma was speaking the truth. It was almost as if Emma wanted them to believe that she was good.

Regina walked into Emma's house, where they'd placed a protection spell after Emma had entered so she couldn't leave. Not with that cuff on, at least. David followed her, Excalibur in his hands. They'd kept it on them at all times so no one else could touch. Put it in the wrong hands, and Emma could do dangerous things.

As they walked through the door, they found Emma on the ground, her body curled in a ball and her eyes flashing anxiously around. Her mouth was moving as though she were repeating the same thing and over again. David dropped the sword on the ground and ran to his daughter, Regina following close behind, feeling a sudden surge of concern for the Savior.

As Regina reached Emma, she stared at her in shock. Emma was muttering, "He's coming..." repeatedly. Regina was about to turn around to get Excalibur and have Emma sleep when she saw fear light in the Savior's eyes. Looking past, Regina's shoulders, she whispered, "He's here."

They whipped around to see Rumplestiltskin watching them with amusement.

"Well, well, well, Miss Swan. It appears you've been lying to me." His voice hardened as he spoke.

Regina rushed up to him, David following pursuit, spitting, "You will not touch her!"

Rumplestiltskin lifted his hand and suddenly Regina and David were outside the house. They rushed up the stairs, but were flung back as the Dark One used his own protection spell on the house.

Forcing herself to calm down, Regina made an imagine of inside the house appear. They watched in horror as Rumple picked up the sword. While Regina struggled to keep the image, David called Snow and Henry, telling them what was happening. "Come quickly!"

He turned his attention back to the image. Emma was talking.

"We both know you can't hurt me, Rumple. You don't have it in you to kill me." Her eyes were full of defiance.

Rumple smiled. "That may be true, Miss Swan, but I can still hurt you." He broke off a bit of the handle on Excalibur and turned it into a pole. "But, I can still hurt you."

Emma's eyes were filled with fear.

Regina lost her concentration when she heard a screeching of wheels and turned to see the truck swerving around the corner. Henry and Mary Margaret jumped out, and bolted to Regina. She gave Snow a look of fear.

Turning back to the house, Regina reformed the image. Emma was slouched on the ground, gripping above her left eye. Rumple was watching her writing around with pleasure in his eyes. "Get up and do it again, Miss Swan," he said, snark in his voice.

Emma stood up, her hand falling from where it had clutched her forehead. Blood was trickling from a wound she had. She backed up across the room and ran into the pole, angling her head so that she hit the same spot, collapsing to her knees.

He smiled. "Do it again. But this time, as fast and as hard as you can go."

"NO!" Mary Margaret screamed.

But her plea was to no avail. Emma did it again, but this time her body fell into the wall from the bouncing of the impact. She stayed standing for a second before she slowly fell to her knees, and then onto the ground.

"Now, now, Miss Swan. I said I wouldn't kill you," he said, malice lingering. He leaned down to her huddled body and whispered, "But that doesn't mean you won't die. Your life is in Regina's hands now."

With that, Rumple vanished, and Regina felt the protection spell being lifted. They bolted up the steps, burst through the door, and saw blood pooling around Emma's head. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was very slow.

The Dark Swan was dying.