Heart of the Most Resilient

Dark and Murkey

Regina

I don't know how I feel, that disgusting black heart juice just engulfed me, but surprisingly I feel light, my heart feels lighter in my chest, boy heavy and hard like before. The dagger clatters on the wet pavement, it feels like it's sucked the last drop of darkness out. "EMMA!!" Snow called, dashing towards the spinning knife, she dropped to her knees and clutched it to her chest, I had done it again, my step daughter had lost her child yet again thanks to me. I went to run over and comfort her but my knees gave out and then the world around me faded away.

Robin

I felt Regina slump into my arms, her breath warming my skin where her head had rolled. "Oh bloody hell! Regina wake up!" I yelled, Killian came over and raised his hook right above her chest, I pulled her tighter to me then David tackled him onto the wet pavement. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" He yelled, Killian gasped and then pushed David off of him. "She enchanted my hook so I can rip out hearts, maybe that's the reason she collapsed! Her bloody heart! Perhaps she is dying just like Rumplstiltskin! Now I am going to check so we can get out of this cursed weather and start looking for my Emma, and you can go get the Queen to safety!" He yelled plunging his hook into her chest, quickly switching it out for his hand in the process, I cradled her head close to me and waited until he removed his hand. He removed his hand and instead of pulling out her battered dark heart, he pulled out a glowing red heart, not a trace of darkness left in it. "The darkness that consumed her cleansed her heart, it did it too quickly, then when she was ripped away it took a harder toll on her body. She will be fine, with rest." Killian said gently pushing the organ back into her chest.

I thanked him and lifted her frail body into my arms, I returned to her mansion with Snow, who kept her spare key. She quietly let herself out and left the two of us alone in the quiet mansion. I climbed the staircase and placed my queen under her white duvet, when she slept she looked so peaceful, so incredibly light, all of the stress that she kept pent up in her heart was gone, at least it looked like it.

I couldn't bear to part with her, I had nearly lost her today and I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. I grabbed her chair that sat in front of her vanity and placed it at her bedside, I placed my hand on her abdomen where that wretched sword struck her, thanking whatever force that was watching over us for giving me my soulmate back. I heard someone open the front door then walk up the stairs, I jumped up and grabbed the vase that sat on her nightstand, I had to protect my queen from the intruder.

Just as I was about to swing, Henry popped his head into his mother's room with a curious look on his face. "I couldn't find my other mom and so I came here, is everything alright..." He said walking over to the chair and planting himself in it, he grabbed Regina's hand and rubbed it. "She's fine, uh, she's just worn out from today." I knew better then to tell him about Emma, his family needed to tell him and right now he just needed to think everything was okay before he was launched into this Dark One business.

"I was really scared Robin, I had no idea if I could save my mom! She didn't even know who I was and she saved my life! I just couldn't let her die and I didn't know how to save her. I know she may have told you stuff Robin, but my mom and I went through a MAJOR rough patch, I accused her of many things, I was so upset about the things she did in her past, that I couldn't see the love she was desperately trying to show me." He said hanging his head, his grip on his mother's hand strengthened and he leaned forward in thought. I walked over and pulled a stool next to him, sitting to his side. "Well I highly doubt that things got that bad." I said trying to console him in some way, I barely knew the lad, just that the love his mother held towards his was great, and that she'd rather face death than a world without him. He shook his head and rubbed his mother's knuckles. "Robin I told her that I hated her, then I ran away and found my birth mother! I love my Emma, but finding her almost cost me my mom, and the part that makes me lay awake every night is, I had no problem losing her! I told the woman who sacrificed everything, gave me the world, that I hated her and that I found my real mom. So when I found her in Isaac's story, and she saved my life without any connection to me, I wanted to die, because all she has ever done was protect and love me, and if she died because I was too weak to defend myself. I may have just died." He said, I could tell he had an urge to cry, so I got up and ruffled his hair, then left him to be alone with his mother.

Rumplestiltskin

The light was blinding, I sat up and saw Belle sitting beside my bed staring at me. "Belle? What happened?" I uttered, my chest felt like it was churning, like something was brewing inside of me. She sighed and sat up, placing her delicate hands in her lap. "Emma was able to release the darkness from your heart, but it consumed her. She's the new Dark One." Belle said shuddering at the thought, a smile curved on the corners of my lips, I was free of that cursed dagger, Belle would finally be mine, and I could give that Will what he deserves. I sat up and went to embrace her but she scooted back, abruptly standing and moving to the center of the room. "Rumple you may be healed and free of the dagger, but I'm still angry, you used me and lied to me. I know I said I loved you, and I do, but I'm just not IN love with you. I just need time." And with that she exited the shop, anger started bubbling in my chest, I pulled out my heart and saw it blacken again. I groaned and shoved it back in my chest, why was this happening! I waved my hand and my book appeared in my lap, when I flipped the pages open I growled when I saw what was written.

Henry

I woke up and saw the light streaming into my mom's room, I rubbed my eyes and cracked my neck, the chair that I had fallen asleep in kinked my spine and shoulders. Robin was asleep next to me in a chair as well. I hadn't slept at all, afraid that if I shut my eyes, saving her may have just been a fantasy, eventually I had fallen asleep for about an hour. I felt her stirring under me so I shot out of my chair and leaned over her, she opened her eyes and sat up, she looked different, as if her dark tendencies seemed to be lessening. She looked up at me and pulled me next to her, wrapping her arms around me. "Henry, I love you." She said placing a kiss on my temple, I hugged her back and rested my head on her shoulder. "I love you too mom."