faith.

Better Villain

"You're a Dark One? How?"

"Because Gold wanted my help to save his son, Gideon. Little did he know, my magic was stronger than his and I was able to take all of the magic and his life, making me the Dark One," she said.

"Why did you come here?" Hope asked.

"I've come to snuff out the light," Dark Hope told her, "of you."

Hope shot her with magic and held her to the ground.

"You did this! You put that curse on my mother!" She yelled. Dark Hope broke free of Hope's magic, then got up.

"Indeed, but you can't stop me. I have much stronger magic than you do, dearie, and there is no way you could compete with it," she said and teleported away. Hope ran back to her house to check on Emma, and to see if her evil lookalike was there.

"Mom!" She yelled in the silent home. Killian jolted awake and stood up.

"Bloody hell, what's wrong?" He asked his daughter.

"I have a Dark One doppelgänger that is roaming the town. She is the one who did this to Mom," she said and they both looked at Emma who was still asleep, shockingly.

"Wait, what?"

"There is another version of me in Storybrooke that is a Dark One and she did something to her. She told me that she was here to 'snuff out the light of me'."

"Look, I know you are as stubborn as they come, but you have to listen to me for once and don't try and go against this dark version of you. Stay here with your mother while Regina and I find a way to get her out of Storybrooke," Hook said and tried to leave the house, but ran into an invisible barrier on the door.

"Hope," he said as if warning her.

"I'm sorry Daddy, but I can't let you fight someone with strong magic. I still remember when the Black Fairy made you fall into a deep slumber and you wouldn't wake up, I can't imagine what a Dark One would do. I'm not taking any chances, that's why I spelled the door to where nobody could enter or exit, except for me," she told him.

"Don't do this."

"I'll go talk with Regina and come back and give you the details. Stay here with Mom, I'll be right back."

"I don't recall you giving me a choice," he said and she gave him a small smile before leaving the house and going to Regina's.

"Get the hell out of my house," Regina said when Hope walked in.

"Woah, I didn't mean to intrude," she said and put her hands up in defense.

"Hope just told me all about you. You are killing her mother, do you really expect me not to rip your heart out right now?" She asked, then grabbed her heart.

"She's dying?" Hope asked in worry.

"Cut the crap, Dark One. Don't take me as a fool, I know who you are," she said and squeezed her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. At the same time, tear drops were falling from her eyes because of what she had learned.

"Regina, I'm not the Dark One, I just came to warn you about her," Hope struggles to get out.

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

"Rip, rip my heart out. See for yourself, it isn't dark," she stuttered.

"What?"

"My heart, see if it's dark," Hope repeated. Regina stared at her for a second, then did as she said. Hope breathed in heavily, though not properly, when she felt her heart leave her chest. She looked at Regina's hand, seeing her bright, glowing heart with a microscopic speck of darkness in the middle.

"Hope, I'm so sorry," Regina said and shoved it back in her chest. Hope groaned, then gathered herself and sat up.

"It's alright, I don't blame you for having trust issues. But is it true? Is my mom dying?"

"Well, yes, but very slowly. We have some time to fix this before it's too late."

"No, not slowly, temporarily. My mother will not die at my doing," Hope said and tried to leave.

"You're not the one doing it."

"Same, difference, mate," Hope said and went back to her house.

"How is she?"

"Awake," Killian said. Hope walked over to her and grabbed her hand.

"I'm going to make you better, Mommy, I just need a little more time, okay?" Hope told her.

"Okay," Emma said. Hope sat there for a minute, thinking of any way that she could beat the Dark One. Every thought she had concluded in her having to use dark magic. She got up and started to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Emma questioned.

"I'm going to get Gold to help-"

"Love, you can't. We will find another way to defeat her, just let me out and you stay here. I'm not going to lose either of you," Killian said.

"I'm sorry, but I can handle myself now. I'm grown up and I've seen and done things that you know nothing about. In those years that I've been away, I survived by knowing the only way to beat the villain, is to be the better villain."