Dark Days

Chapter two

"Where am I? Who's there? Rumplestiltskin!" David mummers. The voice just laughs. "I need to find Merlin." He tries to focus but the voice keeps popping up.
"Who are you?" Demands a high pitched Scottish voice.
"Get out of my head."
"Your the new dark one. I'm not in your head. I'm Merida."

"What do we do?" Asks Killian. "There has to be a way to get to him"
"WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!?!" Shouts Regina.
"He saved your life!" Snaps Emma.
"Don't you think I know that? There had to be another way!"
"Well there wasn't! Now he's the dark one.
"Now he's a problem!" Frowns Snow.
"He's not in this world.... But maybe... GET ME SOMETHING OF HIS NOW!"
"Regina what are you doing?" Asks Snow.
"I've already lost love once, I won't again. I finding him and I'm bringing him back to me, even if that means going to get him. I'm not loosing him!"

"Give me the whisp!"
"Never! It's the only thing leading me to find my brothers." Merida shouted from behind one of the stone pillars. She too a step into a small gap and shot an arrow at David. By his own surprise, and hers, he caught it. She kept shooting arrows, moving from stone to stone, until she ran out. With the dark magic he pulls Merida towards him and rips out her heart.
"You need the whisp. It has to be this way." Says Rumplestiltskin. David turns his head to see the figure. "Crush it." His hand closes around the heart. He takes in every beat and he starts to apply pressure.
"STOP!" He looks up and Regina runs towards him followed by Henry, Snow, Emma and Robin.
"No this can't be, your not here."
"Yes! Yes I am, David look at me." Cries Regina. "I'm here."
"How?"
"It doesn't matter how. What matters is getting the darkness out of you, getting you home."
"We need to find merlin, she knows how."
"You don't have to kill her."
"They don't understand what's at stake." Says the voice.
"You don't understand what's at stake!"
"She has to be killed. Do it!"
"She has to die." He cries, gripping the heart tighter and squeezing it slowly.
"No-"
"We're not taking that chance." Snow grabs the dagger and holds it out ready to make a demand.
"No, this has to be his decision." Replies Regina rapidly. "There is another way. Look at us, heroes and villains together for you!" He looks over his shoulder at Rumplestiltskin, then to the people around him, to Regina and then to Merida. He loosens his grip on her hear and pushes it back into her chest. He scared himself. The lengths the darkness throws at him to make decisions that could kill other people made him fear himself. Regina grabbed David's arms and turned him to face her but he just fell into her arms and she embraced him.

"Take this." Snow offers David the dagger. "You can control yourself with it."
"No. I don't trust myself." He takes the dagger but looks at Killian. "Take it." He thrusts the dagger in his face leaving him no choice but to take it.
"Why me?" Killian asks confused.
"I know that if we can't fix this mess, and the darkness consumes me, you'll do the right thing. You'll do what needs to be done. You'll destroy me, feelings aside."  Killian sighs and puts the dagger in his jacket throwing David a sad smile.
"But that's not going to happen, is it grandpa?" Ask Henry.
"Of course not, kid." David lies as he pulls him in for a hug to reassure him but, he didn't believe it.
"Let's find merlin!" Smiles Regina as she pulls David towards her.
"How did you get here?"
"It's better we show you." She takes David's hand and leads him towards grannies which has crashed in the middle of no where. He looks down at her and she throws him a cheeky smile telling him she believes in him.