The Prince of Darkness

The Dark One

A/N: This was originally posted on my tumblr and it seems to be pretty popular. So I'm continuing it as a multi-chapter story. My plan is to have this mirror a half-season on Once, so there will probably be about twelve or thirteen chapters.

I also want to get one thing out of the way: I loved the ending scene of the season finale. I loved that it was Emma who sacrificed herself. I loved how it added to the Emma/Regina friendship. This is in no way meant to detract from that.

The idea came from the twitter user Imagine_OQ: "Imagine Robin saving Regina from the darkness and he became the new dark one to protect her." I saw it and decided to run with it. It's going to be interesting exploring Robin's dark side. So thank you Imagine_OQ and WoolGrillRegal.

I hope everyone enjoys this! Also, if anyone would like to make a story cover for this, I'd be really appreciative.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1: The Dark One

Robin grabbed Regina's hand, enjoying their moonlight walk. After everything they had gone through-both in this reality and the alternate one-he enjoyed just being with her. Neither said anything for a long time as they strolled through the empty streets of Storybrooke.

"I love this place," she said with a sigh.

He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. "Me too. I hope I never have to cross that town line again."

"I don't think I'd let you. Not after last time." She stopped walking, using his leather jacket to pull him closer. He smirked before she captured his lips in a searing kiss. They stood in the middle of the deserted street, under the glow of a streetlamp and the green tint of the traffic signal. It wasn't the moonlight he had promised but for them, it was perfect.

It was Storybrooke.

Something changed in the winds and Regina pulled away, frowning. Robin watched her, confused and concerned. "What's wrong?"

"There's something in the air."

"Rain?"

"I pray it's only that." Regina sighed, taking Robin's hand again. "But we should head back anyway."

Disappointment washed over him...until he remembered they had many more days to do this again. He wasn't going anywhere this time. Neither was she. They were staying put in Storybrooke and staying together. So he smiled until they turned the corner.

David and Mary Margaret stood in the middle of the street, looking concerned. Emma and Hook ran up and Regina let go of his hand, darting forward. His stomach sank. Couldn't this town have more than a few hours of peace?

"What's going on?" Regina asked.