4 𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖔𝖋 4 𝖎𝖓 𝖍𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘
Darkness has always been inside of Scarlett. It's just been hidden. And now... it's out to play. When Emma used the Dark One's dagger to transfer the darkness into herself, she became the Dark One...
Hook runs back into the house without being told as Killian trails behind him. He goes into the kitchen and sets down the bag of groceries and takes them out one by one. He sets them down on the counter along with a cutting board. He washes the food and cuts it up. He mixes them together and adds the spices. He adds them to a flame and then onto a plate. He grabs two glasses and fills them both with ice water. He walks into the dining room and sets down the plates and the glasses. He adds a candle to the table and places it in the center of the table. He lights it with a match and dims the lights to create a soothing atmosphere. He fills up the dog bowl with food as well and sets it down so Hook can eat.
Killian patiently waits for his wife to descend the stairs so they can start their meal, but she never comes.
After the hands on the clock are half way to the next hour, Killian gets up from his chair and walks up the stairs to see what could possibly be keeping his wife. What he sees is Scarlett frantically running back and forth between the children's nurseries as they cry. She enters the room and one stops crying, but the other continues to cry. A vicious cycle that is no stranger to parents of twins. Killian steps forward to his wife and grabs her arm before she can enter the room once more. He holds her in the hallway to see what's the matter. She looks into his eyes, but her mind is elsewhere. All her thoughts are about her children.
" Let's go have some dinner," He says, " The babies will be fine."
Scarlett shakes her head, her glossed over eyes becoming more and more obvious.
" They won't stop crying," She whispers.
Killian's heart aches at the sight of her.
" I know, love," He says softly, " But let's go downstairs, have some dinner, and then we can both come back up here and rock them to sleep," his eyes flicker back and forth between hers, " Okay?"
Scarlett nods. It's not much, but Killian will take what he can get. He guides his wife down the stairs and into the dining room. He takes notice that the fireplace contains a roaring fire, one he had never set in the first place. He brushes off his thoughts as he pulls out the chair for Scarlett and pushes it closer to the table once she sits down. He takes the seat across from her and grabs the glass of water in his hand.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
" To our beautiful, wonderful children," Killian says, " And to the greatest woman in all the realms."
Scarlett picks up her glass and clinks it against his. They drink the water and set the glasses down. Killian digs into his food, being absolutely starving. He finishes all the food on his plate before Scarlett even touches hers. His eyes lift up and look at her, and he can't quite pinpoint what she's looking at. She's dazed at the table. She's staring off at nothing as her mind wonders. Her eyes remain unblinking as she unknowingly holds her breath. Killian leans forward and puts his hand on hers, but instantly retracts as the temperature of her skin burns his. With that, Scarlett's pained eyes look at her husband. Her face remains neutral as she tilts her head.
The condensation from the melting ice slowly drips down the sides of their glasses as Scarlett finally takes a breath. She lets out a heavy sigh as she looks down at her plate of untouched food. She leaves the plate all alone, not even daring to touch it, as if it had been poisoned.
Killian's eyes stay locked on her, his body staying still as his mind consumes all that is happening in front of him.
Scarlett gets up from the chair and the fire roars louder as she does. Her movements are slow and delicate as she turns around and walks towards the stairs. Killian's mind screams at him to move, but his body doesn't listen. He fights throughout whatever physical or mental barrier keeps him in place, driven by the concern for his wife. He manages to catch up to her, feeling as though his body is on fire with momentarily feeling nothing. His pain only consists as he moves. Scarlett goes from the top of the stairs into one of the children's nurseries. Killian, in total agony, climbs the steps as if he is walking across hot coals, but he makes it all the way upstairs to find Scarlett sitting on the floor of the hallway, directly in between the two rooms. She sits with one baby in each arm as she gently rocks them.
Killian pauses for a moment, his concern slowly turning into fear, but he's never been one to cower away. One agonizing step at a time, Killian reaches his wife, but she doesn't acknowledge his presence. Her focus remains solely on her children. He manages to get down onto his knees in front of her, despite his nerves screaming at him and telling him not to. Still, Scarlett does not look up, so Killian reaches his hand out towards her. He places his fingers under her chin and ignores the burning sensation. He lifts her head up so she's forced to look at him, and once her eyes meet his Killian lets out a gasp. Horror and shock.
The white's of her eyes are slowly but ever so presently being consumed by black. The once red veins in her eyes are now filled with a color darker than the Dark One's heart, and yet her demeanor would suggest nothing of the sort.
" Scarlett... what the hell is happening?" Killian desperately asks.
As the sound of his voice fills her eyes, the blackness temporarily stops consuming her eyes and allows her to blink. A moment of clarity hits her like a truck, allowing one clear thought to enter her mind.
" Help me."
Scarlett's expression remains neutral. A single tear escapes her eyes and falls down her cheek as her eyes desperately try to tell a story that her voice cannot.
