Mightier Than The Sword

By: HopeIsHere16

Summary: Henry never finds the Author's quill, and is unable to save his friends and family from the Heroes & Villains universe. As a result, Emma must come to terms with this new reality, as she and her son struggle to cope and find another way back to Storybrooke. However, familiar faces might be closer than they realize. Features Evil Queen, Captain Hook, CS & OQ.

Author's Note: While I try to get through the annoying amount of writer's block that I'm currently experiencing for "Take Backs", here's a little something I wrote after the Season 4 Finale. Thank you for clicking on, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or any lines from the show you recognize!

The book might be over, but the nightmare wasn't.

Regina was lying there on the ground motionlessly, her hand still clasping the blood-soaked handkerchief. Robin Hood was kneeling above her, shaking her shoulders and begging her to wake up. Henry was sitting by his mother's head, crying into his jacket sleeve, unable to form coherent words. They had failed.

Emma stared at Isaac with pure hatred, his cruel words still echoing in her ears. I can't. I'm not the Author anymore. I can't change a thing.

Before anyone could move or make a sound, Isaac ran off into the woods, not looking behind him. Emma wanted so badly to go after him, to make him pay, but she couldn't. A huge weight had pressed itself down upon her, and all she could do was stand perfectly still as a thousand thoughts bombarded her at once.

They failed. Regina was gone, Snow and Charming were still villains, Rumplestiltskin won, and Killian wasn't coming back. The knowledge that there was nothing she could do was daunting to Emma, and she found herself sinking slowly to her knees. She could hear Henry's cries, but she was powerless to help him. She was powerless period. Her parents had been telling her for years that good always won and she just needed to have hope. Well, she had hope, but that didn't magically fix this nightmarish situation. Good had lost. Evil prevailed.

Eventually, the crowd which had assembled for Robin and Zelena's wedding began to dissipate, leaving only the aforementioned thief, Regina, Henry, and Emma left behind. The sun was setting, but none of them had been able to work up the courage to speak. Finally, Emma sat up and stared at Robin Hood. He seemed so lost, so broken, and he was still staring at Regina...

"I know why you're feeling this way," Emma croaked, her voice hoarse. Henry didn't look up, too lost in his own grief, but Robin did tear his eyes away from Regina long enough to pay attention to the former Savior. She continued, "You feel like your heart has been ripped out of your chest and you feel helpless because there's nothing you can do to make this right."

Robin wrinkled his eyes, and asked quietly, "How do you know that?"

Emma could feel the tears begin to spill without her permission, but said, "Because I feel exactly that way, too. Today, I watched the man I love die right in front of me...and you've just been through that with Regina. So yeah, I understand what you're going through."

Robin shook his head in disagreement. "But I didn't lo-"

"Yes, you did." Emma quickly corrected. She knew she sounded crazy, because there was no way Robin knew about the other reality. "You just don't remember."

Robin paused for a moment in reflection. Henry looked up at this point, watching the exchange between Robin Hood and his mother with intense focus.

Finally, Robin broke the silence and said, "I'm sensing there's more to this than I know."

"Trust me," began Emma with a huff. "You have no idea."

Hours later, Emma, Henry, and Robin Hood were huddled together in the cave Regina had been living in within the woods. Since sunset, Robin had learned the story of the "other reality", which he somewhat clumsily called "Storybrooke", since the name of the town was unfamiliar to him. It had taken a little while to convince him, but once the leader of the Merry Men connected the dots, he believed the tale as much as Killian had before -

Before David killed him.

Emma had to shut the thoughts of Killian's death from her mind, but she couldn't. Not twelve hours ago, the two of them had been sailing on his ship together, and now, he was gone from her forever. There was no Author, there was no way out of the wretched Heroes & Villains book...nothing could ever be as it was before. The image of her own father killing the man she had come to love was imprinted on her mind, and no matter how hard she tried to focus on the present, her pirate wouldn't leave her thoughts.

"There has to be a way to fix this," insisted Robin Hood stubbornly, slamming his fists upon the ground. At the present time, he didn't seem remotely interested in locating his new wife, Zelena, nor did he seem to be willing to give up on Regina. "If we can get back to Storybrooke, Regina will be there, won't she? Alive?" He sounded so hopeful, so sure that they could set the world right again, that it almost made Emma's heart lighter. Almost.

"If we could get back, yes," sighed Emma heavily. "But we can't. The book is over, so it can't be destroyed. This is just...reality, now. And reality doesn't include Regina anymore," Or Killian, she silently added. "There isn't anything we can do."

"There has to be!" said Henry passionately. Emma's heart started slightly; that was the most fervently she'd heard her son speak since his other mother had sacrificed herself for him. He went on to say, "Good doesn't lose, and I can't give up on her! She's my mom. We can find a way to make things right, I know we can. We just have to think...if there was some sort of way to destroy the book -"

"I thought the only way to destroy the book was to give a hero a happy ending before the last page?" questioned Emma, raising an eyebrow at Henry. The boy shrugged.

"That's what Isaac implied," he explained. "But now that I think about it, he isn't the most trustworthy person I've ever met. Maybe he left some sort of loophole out. Maybe there's another way!"

"You said that Isaac was the Author," said Robin quietly, his eyebrows wrinkling in deep concentration. "And when you asked him to bring back Hook and save Regina, he said that he couldn't because he wasn't the Author anymore."

"That's right," Emma said listlessly. Her heart felt like a concrete block in her chest - her parents and Killian were lost to her forever, in different ways, but lost nonetheless, and so was Regina. The woman Emma could finally call a true friend, the one who had been through so much in the hopes of finding her happiness...the one who had died before she could even get a taste of that joy. The thought made Emma sick.

"Well then, it's simple, isn't it?" asked Robin Hood with wide eyes. "All we have to do is find the new Author, and then ask them to take us back to the other reality!"

Emma felt hope ignite in her heart at the thought, but it was quickly snuffed out; she shook her head sadly once more. "Where would we even begin to look? The Author could be anyone in any realm. It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"Didn't you say that finding people is something you're particularly adept at?" asked Robin coyly, raising an eyebrow. Emma wasn't in the mood for humor - not in the slightest.

"Not like that," she muttered to herself. "We'll keep thinking of a plan, but for now, why don't you guys get some sleep? I'll be back soon, but there's something I need to do first."

Henry and Robin didn't question her, but they didn't look ready to go to sleep, either. Emma supposed that they would probably stay up late into the night, trying to discuss plans while she was gone. Whatever made them feel better was fine with Emma, but she couldn't help the less-than-optimistic feelings that had a grip on her heart. How could she afford to have hope when doing so had caused so much distress in only one day's time?

It wasn't difficult to navigate this twisted version of the Enchanted Forest at night; she had quill-given memories of living here before being captured and imprisoned in a tower by the Queen. It was for this reason that she was able to be so lost in thought while her feet absentmindedly carried her to the source of her current inconsolable grief.

The Jolly Roger was still docked, and it certainly looked imposing against the moonlight. It seemed to be quiet onboard, but that wasn't very surprising; its rightful captain was gone forever, and it wouldn't surprise Emma if the vessel was in mourning herself. Killian had loved that ship so much, and so many centuries of his life had been spent there...Emma couldn't even stand to look at it; it hurt too much.

Killian wasn't there anymore. Someone must have found him several hours before. The thought mortified Emma; whoever it was who had taken him away from his place of death hadn't known him as Emma had! They'd all thought him to be a one-handed coward, probably a victim of his own lack of skill. But Emma knew the truth - he'd fought with courage to protect those he couldn't even remember caring about! Even though Rumplestiltskin had told the Author to turn Hook into a coward, he'd still been braver than Rumple ever had been.

Her sadness consuming her, Emma slowly fell to the stones on the ground, her face pressed against her palms as she tried to stop the flow of tears. She didn't know how she was supposed to fix all of this! In this world she wasn't the Savior, so how was she going to be able to save the ones she loved? She knew she would never stop trying to bring her family and friends back to Storybrooke, and she knew she would always have companions in Henry and Robin, but from her place on the street where Hook had died, she didn't see how anything they did was going to make a difference. They weren't powerful enough to completely eradicate what was now supposedly considered their new "reality"...were they?

She didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts, for at that moment, several grisly looking men began marching their way towards her. They were obviously pirates, as one was sporting a worn-out looking eye patch, and the other was wearing more jewelry than Emma had ever seen Killian wear. She pushed herself backwards until she was safely hidden in the shadows, and listened while the scallywags in front of her spoke excitedly to one another. They looked to be on their way to the Jolly Roger.

"Is this where Smee said for us to go, Kipper?" the one with the eye patch asked his friend.

"Aye, this is it. The Jolly Roger is a hard vessel to mistake, Florence."

"Oy!" shouted Florence indignantly. "I've told ye, Kipper, it's Frank. Just Frank."

"Oh, forget it, it doesn't matter." said Kipper quickly. "What matters is that we'll be setting sail in the morn. I can feel the sea, mate, she be calling to me once again."

"It's all sort of mysterious though, don't you think, Kipper?" asked Frank thoughtfully after a moment of silence. "I mean, first we hear that Blackbeard is defeated by his own deckhand, then next thing you know, the most feared name in the seven seas is looking for a crew on the Jolly Roger? How did he even get it?"

"Captain Hook must've been the one to kill that deckhand, then he took the ship for himself." Kipper guessed haphazardly, shrugging his shoulders. He adjusted his eyepatch while he spoke. "I saw one of the Black Knights cleaning that mess up earlier. Must've been a gruesome fight. The deckhand was the stiff with the hook."

"That's strange," remarked Frank. "Isn't it? I mean, the deckhand and Captain Hook sound like they could be the same person."

"Hardly!" laughed Kipper heartily, slapping Frank on the back with more force than neccessary. "That deckhand was a worthless coward. Cap'n Hook is ruthless and cold by nature. They couldn't be more different."

After that, Emma could no longer hear the words, as the two pirates made their way aboard the Jolly Roger. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it might burst from her chest. She knew not to get her hopes up; after all, she had seen Killian die with her own eyes. But how many Captain Hooks were there in the Enchanted Forest? Emma knew that if she was ever to be at peace, she was going to have to investigate this.

Emma threw her hair up ontop of her head, and searched for fifteen minutes until she found a suitable head covering to hide the long locks. She rubbed a bit of dirt on her face, and loosened her blouse so that one couldn't see her figure quite as well. She hoped beyond reason that those onboard the Jolly Roger were enjoying some rum; that way, they might not be able to see past her less-than-stellar disguise.

Trying to walk as confidently as possible, she boarded the Jolly Roger. Thankfully, it was a vessel she knew well, and it wasn't difficult for her to appear to the untrained eye to be a knowledgable sailor. A bloke on deck approached her the moment she set foot by the crow's nest.

"Who sent ye, lad?" he asked in a deep voice. He seemed to be imposing, but Emma had faced far more dangerous foes during her time in Storybrooke. So she tried to lower her voice, and sounded husky when she answered:

"A scallywag called Smee. Told me Hook was looking for a crew. Thought I might talk to the man myself. Er, mate."

Emma cringed; the man was staring at her with a hard gaze. He was taking too long to answer...he'd probably seen right through her, and she would be forced to walk the plank at any moment.

"That's Captain Hook to you, boy!" he eventually said sharply. "Show some respect!"

"Aye," said Emma shortly, nodding quickly - probably too quickly, but she was still nervous.

"The Captain is meeting with Smee in his private quarters," the man said. "If he answers your knock, you may speak with him, but if he doesn't, it's either back ashore or down to the crew's bunker you go!"

Emma gruffly said that she got the point loud and clear, before taking off and putting as much distance between herself and that man as possible. She suddenly found herself in front of the door to Killian's Captain Quarters, and hesitated only a moment before knocking loudly three times in a row. She berated her damm heart for being so fragile in that moment, because she knew that if it wasn't Killian who answered the door, she would be even more heart-broken than before.

As it happened, it wasn't Killian who answered, but it was another familiar face. Mr. Smee adjusted his red hat as he appraised Emma, then asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm here to see the Captain." Emma said with as much strength as she could muster.

"Captain Hook is quite busy at the moment, so if you -"

"Please," said Emma passionately, boring her eyes into Smee's. "Please, I know he's busy, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't urgent."

Smee thought for a moment before nodding once and opening the door to let Emma inside. She was taken aback at the sudden rush of light that reached her eyes from the candles that were burning around the room. When she was acclimated, however, she sucked in a shocked breath, and could feel the tears pouring down her face before the word Killian could even flash across her mind's eye.

It was him; of that she was certain. He was completely and utterly real and alive, dressed to the nine's in his captain's garments. Everything was the same, right down to his long, heavy, leather coat. His hook gleamed in the candle light, looking both mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time. The charcoal beneath his eyes was heavier than Emma had seen it in a long time, and there was something different about his blue-eyed gaze, but she could hardly bring herself to care. He was with her; even if they never got out of this alternate reality, Killian could still be beside her! She could still tell him that she loved him.

"K-Killian..." His name tore from her throat like a choked sob, and she hurled herself at him without thinking. She'd only barely touched him when she could feel herself being hurriedly pushed back by a hand and a hook.

"Oy!" His rough, angry voice shocked her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh," Emma realized suddenly that her pirate must not recognize her since she was, after all, wearing a disguise. She hastily let down her hair, and she tried her best to wipe the mud from her face while she spoke. "I'm sorry, I didn't think my disguise was so heavy that you wouldn't recognize me at all, but -"

"My, my," said Killian huskily. Emma looked up, and saw a hunger in the Captain's gaze that she recognized instantly as desire. He approached her slowly, practically oozing lust. "Well, let's have a look at you, love." Emma shivered at the way he called her 'love', not even realizing how bizarre it was for Killian to be acting this way towards her. She didn't catch that way the he was examining her like she was something to buy rather than the woman he loved. "Yes, you're a lovely little wench, aren't you?" Killian slowly pressed himself to her, his face only inches from hers. Emma could hardly breathe - to her, Killian had seemingly been lost to her forever, yet here he was, making her want him in all the ways she'd never thought she could again. "Yes, love, you'll stay here with me tonight, but you must be gone by dawn. Bad luck to have a woman aboard at all, you know, but for you, I think I'll make an exception. Bit of advice - when I jab you with my sword, you'll feel it." Killian smirked, and sent a wink her way, and that's when reality slapped Emma across the face.

The man in front of her was most certainly not her Killian, but was, indeed, the ruthless, vengeance-seeking, villainous Captain Hook. He'd somehow been changed back into the man he was before, the man who had shut himself off from being capable of love, the man who gave no quarter and showed no mercy. He was as cold and callous as he had been when he'd first met Emma, and based on the lack of recollection in his gaze, he had no idea who she was.

"Killian?" she asked hesitantly, trying as hard as she could to make some kind of breakthrough. Nothing she said seemed to be deterring Killian's obvious desire to pillage and plunder her, but she knew she had to try. "Killian?"

"Now, lass, I don't know where you heard that name, but it would be wise not to say it again," Killian said quickly and quietly, seemingly trying to force Emma away from the topic. But Emma was stubborn, and refused to be ignored.

"But Killian, I have to know how you're alive," begged Emma, searching his eyes for any trace of the man she knew. "I watched you this afternoon, Charming -"

"Stabbed me with that blade?" finished Killian heatedly. "Aye, perhaps he did. But he didn't kill me. After I fell to the ground, I awoke again with my memories restored. Someone must have enchanted that lunatic's sword, because it's intention certainly wasn't to kill. I was reminded of who I really am. Not some cowardly deckhand, but the fearsome Captain Hook!"

Killian's small monologue gave Emma so many things to think about, but she didn't have very much time for contemplation, because at that very moment, the pirate captain's lips were crushing against hers, forcing all thoughts of spells and magic and curses to flee her mind. The pirate pulled her more closely to him, his behavior demanding and borderline animalistic. This was the way that Hook kissed (as Emma well knew, for she had kissed him herself when she and Killian had gone to the past) but she longed for the way that Killian kissed. These kisses weren't fueled by love, they were fueled by the desire of a man who took what he wanted without any consideration for anyone else.

It took more self-control than Emma was even aware she possessed to pull away from Killian and stare him down seriously. He looked confused, but not the least bit deterred.

"Before this goes any further," said Emma choppily, her breathing quite uneven. "There's something I have to know."

Emma knew she had to at least ascertain what exactly Killian meant when he said he'd "had his memories restored". Which memories? Of what life? And when? If his memories were of this Heroes & Villains Universe, then they would not include a desire to ever exact revenge of the Dark One, seeing as he was a "hero" here and wouldn't have killed Hook's love. However, if they were of what really happened, Emma knew that there could very well be a way to bring back the Killian she knew and loved. There was only one question she had to ask.

"Quickly, love," Killian panted, his eyes glossy. "You're really making me work for it, aren't you? No matter. I love a challenge."

Killian advanced on her once more, but she put a hand out and stopped him. She told him, "I would love nothing more than to kiss you without a thought in the world, but I have to ask you this first," She took a deep breath, and grabbed the sleeve of Killian's shirt. She rolled it up quickly before he could stop her, and turned his wrist upwards to face her. His tattoo was instantly visible, the elegant lettering spelling MILAH enclosed in a red heart. Emma stared at the tattoo, then at Killian, and asked soflty, echoing her words from so long ago, "Who's Milah? On this tattoo?"

Killian shoved his sleeve back down, and grumbled moodily, "Someone from long ago."

"What happened to her?" asked Emma softly. She sighed; she knew the pain she had to be causing Killian, but she had to know what he remembered before she could possibly try to help him.

"She's gone." came Killian's hasty reply. He turned away, and Emma saw him remove a flask from his vest. She knew it had to be filled with rum now instead of goat's milk.

"Was it Rumplestiltskin?" This was it - if this was the Killian who would grow to become her Killian, then this was the moment of truth.

The pregnant pause that followed was agonizing, but Killian turned back to her, took one long swig from his flask, then bit out. "Aye. The bloody Dark One took more than just my hand," Killian flashed his hook dangerously in front of her. "But it doesn't matter now. I will find him, and I will have my revenge."

Emma sighed in quiet victory; this was Killian. His memories seemed to be a few decades behind where they should be, but this was certainly the man she would one day grow to love. She had a thousand questions in her mind, the most promninent one being: What was so special about the sword Charming used to hurt Killian that caused him to be restored to the past-version of his Storybrooke self? Was it Dark Magic used by Snow White? Or something from the days when Regina had been the Evil Queen? Was it something of Isaac's imagination, or a weapon from somewhere else entirely? Despite these burning inquiries, Emma knew one thing for certain - she had to keep Killian by her side, and find a way to bring him back to her love.

"Did you say you were setting sail in the morning, Captain?" asked Emma innocently, batting her eyelashes at Hook. He nodded.

"Aye." he said simply. He seemed to be in a much worse mood since Emma had interrupted the extremely hot making out they had just been engaging in to talk of his quest for revenge.

"You can't," she told him quietly. She approached him saucily, behaving much as she'd had to to "keep him occupied" in the Enchanted Forest of the past.

"Why not?" asked Killian icily. Emma stared at him seriously, knowing just what to say to get him on her side.

"Because I know how you can have your revenge and not be killed in the process." Emma gave this statement simply, knowing that it would entice Killian to the point where he would beg to know more.

"And how is that, love?" He tried to act like he didn't care, but Emma could see how hard he was restraining himself so he didn't scare her. Bingo - Emma knew she had won.

"There's a place that I'm from - it's in a world with, er, no magic. I lived there with many residents of the Enchanted Forest, but we were all brought back here by magic. Rumplestiltskin believes he's a hero now, he calls himself "The Light One". No one knows the truth that you do, Captain. But...if we can bring everyone back to where I'm from, you could come with us, and that is where you can finally realize your dream of slaying the Dark One."

Killian looked completely enamored with the idea. He asked hungrily, "Where is this land? This land with no magic?"

Emma smiled a bit to herself, and answered, "Storybrooke."

To say that Robin Hood and Henry were shocked beyond words when Emma returned to their hideout with the infamous Captain Hook trailing behind her would be an unbelievable understatement. Both of them, though mostly Henry, tried to approach him and discover how on earth he was still alive, but Killian bluntly ignored them, said goodnight to Emma, and retired to the furthest corner he could find.

The moment Robin Hood heard the first snore come from the back of the cave, his head whipped towards Emma, and he asked, "How - I mean, where did you - what's going on, Emma?"

Emma sighed, and sat in front of the small fire Henry and Robin Hood had assembled in her absense. She told them the story of how she disguised herself and found him aboard the Jolly Roger, and also of how she'd lied to him to convince him to return to this cave with her. "So he believes that we're finding a way to get back to Storybrooke so he can finally kill Rumplestiltskin," she finished.

No one spoke for a long time, but finally, Henry asked, "Mom...if Killian is really alive...do you think that maybe -?"

"I don't know, kid." said Emma, interrupting her son mid-sentence. In truth, it was certainly something she'd considered. She'd been trying to figure out the whole walk back to the forest how Killian could be alive when she'd clearly watched him die, and still fervently believed it had something to do with Charming's sword. She decided to share her suspicions with the two companions beside her - perhaps, since they were further from her speculations, they could shed some kind of light on the subject. "I think the reason Killian is back has something to do with the sword Charming used to k- to hurt him. His Heroes & Villains memories have all but been erased. He's been...I don't know, transformed back to when he was seeking revenge against The Dark One. I can't figure out what any of it means."

At the incredbily crushed look on Henry's face, Robin Hood spoke up. He couldn't explain it, but he felt a need to protect the lad in front of him. He knew that in Storybrooke they were friends (and he was also the son of the woman he was in love with) but since he had no memories of their times together, he couldn't comprehend his desire to make sure young Henry held onto hope. "You could have a point, Henry," said Robin quietly, placing a hand on Henry's shoulder. "It might not even have anything to do with Charming's weapon. Why don't we go back to the church and investigate?"

"It's too dangerous," Emma said immediately. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her son, too. The walk to the church (where the trio had laid Regina on a bed of flowers several hours before) wasn't far, but any number of things could happen on the way, and -

"I'll be with him, Emma," said Robin Hood strongly, his mind seemingly made up. "Please, have faith. I won't let any harm come to Henry. I give you my word."

Emma examined Robin Hood's resolve, then turned her attention to her son. His eyes were still red and puffy from crying, and Emma understood suddenly why it was so important for him to do this. Even if she hadn't found Killian aboard the Jolly Roger, she would've known for certain the truth of whether he was gone or not. Closure was important for her, and it was just as important for Henry. She nodded slowly, not trusting her voice not to shake with worry. She did manage a "Please be careful," to them both before they set out into the night in search of the woman they both cared about. Emma knew that there was but a slim chance of finding that woman - she wouldn't give up on her notion that the weapon was behind it all, but she tried to hang onto hope. For their sake, as well as for hers.

When Henry and Robin Hood arrived at the church, they didn't have to look for long to find Regina. She was not lying on the bed of flowers they had assembled for her several hours before, as they had suspected she wouldn't be. Whatever this strange magic was that had brought back Killian Jones, it had also brought back Regina Mills. Henry and Robin split up and looked around for any sign of where the dark haired woman might be, calling out for her and meeting up every few minutes to discuss where to look next. They were just debating going back into the forest to search, when a sudden ball of light interrupted their conversation.

A burst of fire just barely missed their heads, and Henry and Robin broke apart, looking for the fire's source. Regina was standing before them, illuminated in the darkness only by the flames resting in her palm.

It was surely her, but she looked so different. Her dark-eyed gaze was cold and mean, her long dark hair was twisted intricately atop her head, her clothing was tight, black, and flowed to create a sultry, yet dangerous-looking, appearance. She was every inch the Evil Queen all over again.

"Ah, and what do we have here?" she asked, her words pointed and calculated. Her eyes were shining with the idea of the fear she was instilling in those before her. The flames licked at her fingertips, just waiting to be thrown.

"Regina, what's happened to -" Robin began to ask the first question he could think of, but what cut off by the Queen's malicious words.

"That's 'Your Majesty' to you, peasant!" she bit out harshly. Rob didn't miss the way the fire grew ever so slightly in the heat of her anger.

"My apologies, Your Majesty," he said quickly, falling to one knee and bowing his head before her. He had no idea what he could do, as Regina clearly didn't recognize him or Henry, but some respect seemed to be the best way to avoid being charred to a crisp.

"That's better," allowed Regina, taking several steps forward so that she was able to see Robin Hood and Henry more clearly. She appraised them both before speaking again. "Now, I am going to ask you both one question. Answer correctly, and I will reward you with your lives. Answer incorrectly, and you won't have to wonder how much it will hurt when this flame hits its target. Do you understand the rules?"

Henry stared aghast at his mother. He had heard of what she was like as the Evil Queen, but hearing about it and seeing it were two completely different things. It seemed to be for his mother just as how it had been for Killian - restored to a state of vengeance.

Regina didn't wait for an affirmation to her request, and instead narrowed her eyes as she asked, "Where is Snow White?"

An idea began to form in Henry's mind as he spoke up. "Y-Your castle."

Regina, stunned at being given an answer, turned her body towards Henry entirely. She stared him down as she asked, "And what is she doing there? And how do you know?"

"She's under a spell," explained Henry quickly, thrusting his hands in front of his body as a sign of innocence. "She thinks it's her castle, and she thinks that she is the Evil Queen now."

Regina actually scoffed and began to laugh. "Foolish child!" she exclaimed. "What spell could have possibly done such a thing?"

"It was Rumplestiltskin," said Henry, the words coming out without his permission. He found himself explaining everything that was going on to a very dangerous woman who, for the moment, was every inch a villain. "He asked a powerful man called The Author to change his fate, and so now we're trapped in an alternate universe. Rumplestiltskin thinks he's a hero, and Snow White thinks she's you."

"That's an interesting tale you've spun," said Regina harshly, stalking towards Henry like a lioness. "So why don't I remember any of it? I suppose you expect me to believe I took a forgetting potion?"

"No, we don't expect you to believe such a thing," said Robin Hood, finally standing once more and regaining his ability to speak. Regina turned her attention to him as he explained what he knew. "You were also under the effects of this alternate reality, but Rumplestiltskin turned a sword on you and you perished. Until this moment, we thought you were dead."

Regina arched her brow, and the flame in her hand began to diminish ever so slightly. "A sword, you say? ...Interesting."

"Why, do you know something about a sword that could -" Henry excitedly began trying to push his mother for information, but the action instantly set her back on the defensive. The flame pulsed with life again, and her voice rose with anger.

"What I know is my business, not yours!" she cried. "And it really makes little difference who Snow White thinks she is. When she's dead, she won't be able to think at all!"

As Regina turned away, most likely to magically transport herself to her castle, Henry shouted, "Wait! You don't understand, she has magic now, she could be dangerous! You won't be able to defeat her!"

Regina turned around, a venemous look in her eyes, and said, "We shall see!"

The next moment, she was gone.

As Regina swept through the corridors of her castle (and let there be no mistake, it was hers), she marvelled at how few mirrors were hung upon the walls. Things had changed so much since she had last been here which, in her mind, wasn't even a day ago.

She thought back to what that peasant and his child had said about an alternate reality. It would surely explain the subtle differences she was becoming aware of in the Enchanted Forest, but it was an awful lot to swallow, especially without her memories. She remembered the two had said something about a sword - it wouldn't surprise her if Rumplestiltskin had enchanted the damn thing. It was almost certainly something he would do. But there were too many unanswered questions for her to begin making suppositions.

She was almost to the throne room when she heard the unmistakeable sounds of someone screeching. "Charming! I want that child and I want him now!"

It sounded like Snow White's voice, only filled with so much more malice. Regina grinned to herself; this would serve to be an interesting night. She opened the door to the throne room with magic and swept through with grandeur. She was always one to make an entrance, and this was going to be the greatest of victories.

Snow White stopped what she'd been telling Charming, and looked up at Regina, eyes widening in unmasked shock. Even Regina was frozen for a few moments in surprise. The two women were dressed nearly identically, and both seemed to radiate power and vengeance. Regina was the first of the two to recover the power of speech, since she had been somewhat prepared for this in advance, and she said, "I don't know what you've been made to believe, Snow White, but it doesn't matter. I am going to destroy your happiness."

Snow White laughed cruelly, recollecting herself, and replied, "Oh, Regina, did you really think a wardrobe change would be enough to frighten me? You underestimate me!"

"You are the one who should be frightened, dear." said Regina, her eyes glinting as she produced fire from the palm of her hand. Without giving Snow White a chance to react, she threw the flames forward with as much power as she could muster. Snow White only just managed to avoid them.

"I'm impressed. You've learned a few things. But I am the greatest purveyor of dark magic in the Enchanted Forest, and it is going to take more than that to defeat me!" Snow White retaliated with a blast of her own magic, which Regina blocked with defensive magic she'd learned long ago. Charming made a move to intervene, but Snow White held out a palm to stop him. "No. This is between us. Wait over by the throne, Charming. Now." Charming stepped aside, though his hand never left his sword's sheath. '

"My, Regina," said Snow White coolly as she blasted more of her magic towards her foe. They were both engaged in a game of cat vs cat, neither of them accustomed to losing and both of them equally as powerful. "I must say, I didn't know you had it in you to fight back. I thought you were supposed to tell me to believe in myself and try to be good."

"Being good doesn't get you anywhere," growled Regina in reply, her resolve even more firm and her anger burning in her heart. What began as low-burning embers was erupting into great tongues of flame, making her powers even stronger. "I tried to forgive you for what you did to Daniel, but I couldn't. I trusted you with my secret, and you betrayed me, and because of that, my true love is dead. And now, you will be, too!"

"Oh, and now you mock me!" came Snow White's fiery reply, her magic coming out in even more frequent bursts. She began to move closer to Regina, with the hopes that her enemy wouldn't be able to avoid being struck by her spells. "I will make you pay for what you did to James! You don't deserve your happy life, you don't deserve the chance to find love! I am going to make you suffer."

"Oh, you think my life is happy?" asked Regina sardonically, her face screwing up in concentration. She tried to send a spell towards Snow White that would turn her into a toad, but she jumped out of the way and sent it back towards Regina at the last second. Regina caught the spell with her bare hand and turned it to dust, but it was frustrating. It was like she was fighting herself. They were evenly matched, and this was turning into draw.

"I grow tired of this game," said Snow White, seemingly bored with the struggle. "Charming, just finish her off enough so that I can tie her up and execute her. I don't feel like wasting any more time here."

Charming came at Regina head-on, his sword aimed to kill. Regina used her magic to remove the weapon from Charming's grasp, and soon felt its weight in her own hand. She appraised the two standing in front of her, then smirked at her look-alike and said, "I've gotten what I came for, dear. Enjoy this day, because you don't have many left!" And in a puff of purple smoke, she was gone.

Back in the cave, Robin Hood and Henry sat gob-smacked on the ground, watching a battle the likes of which they had never seen before, and would likely never see again. It wasn't unusual back in Storybrooke for Emma and Killian to disagree - the two butted heads quite constantly, as Henry recalled. But this was by all measures quite a different experience. This wasn't Emma and Killian having a tiff; this was Captain Hook and the Savior going against one another like impassioned gods.

"Don't make any mistakes, Emma Swan!" Killian yelled in fury, his hook waving threateningly in front of him. "I'm not going to sit here so you can waste my time with your pathetic -"

"I am not pathetic!" cried out Emma, her hand this close to making contact with the pirate captain's cheek. "You have no idea what I've been through, Killian! I had to watch -"

"Do not call me that!" Killian practically growled, stalking towards her until there was hardly any space between them. They were dangerously close to the fire, but neither seemed to notice. "Killian Jones died long ago, lass! And so did his pathetic belief in love, so don't mistake our earlier dalliance for anything more than -"

"Than what? A casual way to pass the time? Not everyone is so shut off from their feelings, Killian!" Emma was getting very passionate in her feelings, and Henry knew that if she had been thinking clearly, she wouldn't have been baiting Killian so much. She should've realized that there was no reasoning with the fearsome pirate - he wasn't the man she knew.

"Don't presume to know me!" shouted Killian, his eyes burning with anger. Emma had never seen him look at her with so much hatred...except perhaps when he'd left her in Rumplestiltskin's cell back in the Enchanted Forest, a time she hadn't thought about in ages, but even then he hadn't been so fervent in his screaming. He went on, "How would you feel if the bloody Dark One ripped out the heart of the woman you loved? Right in front of you?"

That gave Emma pause. She'd always known that Rumplestiltskin had taken away Milah's life, but she had never known the specifics until just now. On another occasion, perhaps she would have apologized and tried to comfort Killian. But that time was not now. "I know exactly how it feels, Killian! This afternoon I had to watch my own father k-"

"Don't call me Killian!" The words weren't a scream, or a cry, but some strangled mix between the two. Emma had never heard such a sound come from another human being. "No one has called me that since her!"

"Oh!" said Emma suddenly, abandoning her anger for sarcastic fury. "So that's what this is about. Milah."

"Don't speak her name!" Killian sounded close to tears, but his emotions were not deterred. "Who do you think you are, barging into my life, trying to -"

"I'm the Savior!" said Emma, using the title she once loathed but would now give anything to be called again. In Storybrooke. "And I know you a lot better than you think, Hook, so don't you dare to- ah!"

In the heat of their argument, Emma and Killian had gone a bit too close to the flames, and the bottom of Emma's nightdress (which she had found among Regina's things) caught fire. The fighting ceased immediately, as Emma and Killian both bent down to try to put it out. Emma was panicking, as it was her clothing which was set alight, but Killian remained calm. He removed a bit of earth from the ground, and used it to snuff out the flames. They were gone almost instantly, and Emma and Killian met each other's gazes solemnly. The cave was quiet and still. Emma whispered hoarsley, "Thank you."

Killian, still lost in Emma's green eyes, offered her his right hand and helped her up from her crouched position. He ignored her thanks, and simply asked, "Singed a bit, were you?" Emma shook her head. "Good," was all he replied.

"I'm sorry," said Emma finally, not realizing that her hand was still in Killian's grasp. "You're right, I don't know you, but I do know that I don't want to fight."

"Likewise." said Killian. "Nothing will be accomplished if we don't cooperate. So why don't we start over? I'm Killian Jones. Most people know me by my more colorful moniker - Hook. But..." He took a deep breath before drawing strength and saying, "You can call me whichever suit."

A small smile lit up Emma's face, and she shook the hand she was still holding while she said, "Emma Swan. But you can call me Swan."

"Swan?" asked Killian, testing the way the word sounded on his lips.

"Swan," smiled Emma. The two stared at each other for a moment more before the clearing of a throat caught their attention.

"I don't mean to interrupt," said Robin Hood cordially, "But, as you were both in a...heated discussion when we arrived, Henry and I have not had a chance to tell you about our findings at the church."

"Oh God," said Emma, aghast at her ignorance. "I can't even believe - I'm sorry, Robin, please tell us what happened." She and Killian both sat on the ground facing Henry and Robin Hood.

Henry grinned as he told Emma, "My mom is alive!"

Just when Emma was about to be equally as jovial, Robin Hood dampened their spirits with his next words. "But she's not herself. Whatever happened to Killian happened to her, too. She was more concerned about her vengeance on Snow White than anything else."

Emma took a moment to think over the information, then began speculating out loud. It was her most sincere hope that someone would be able to pick out something she said and connect the dots. "It doesn't make sense. We watched them both die. Something had to have happened to cause them to revert back to these states of...desiring vengeance above all else. They were both killed by sword, but it couldn't have been the same sword, could it? Charming had one, and Rumplestiltskin had the other. Maybe there's some kind of enchantment on the book that whenever someone dies, they come back?"

"I don't think so," said Henry, shaking his head. "That just doesn't make sense. Then no one in this reality would ever die. I think you're right; I think it has something to do with the way they were killed. And for all we know, it could be the same sword, or swords that were both enchanted with the same spell."

"It matters little," said Killian callously. "Whatever that blade did only served to remind me that my purpose is to kill Rumplestiltskin. It let me forget about whatever bloody nobility got in the way of that purpose."

"It let you forget..." murmured Emma thoughtfully, her brow scrunched in concentration. "And Regina, the same thing happened to her...you were both reminded of your vengeance...that has to mean something."

"I hate to say it, but I think our best bet is to ask the man who wrote the book," said Robin Hood gravely. "We need answers, and I think that the Author is our only hope."

Emma cringed. "The last thing I want to do is ask him, but I think you're right. We don't have a choice."

"Well," stated Henry. "I guess I know what we're doing tomorrow."

And the four fell asleep soon after, knowing they would need their rest for what was to come. Little did they know, the Author was already being questioned by someone with a less-than-cheerful demeanor and a bone to pick. The Evil Queen wanted answers.

"Please, Your Highness, have mercy!"

Regina had Issac cornered in the middle of the Dark Forest. He was hanging upside down in a tree, with a ball of fire only inches from his face.

"I will show you mercy, scribe, when you give me some answers!" Regina shouted, moving the flames so that they almost touched his nose. "Now tell me! What is so special about this blade?"

"Please, just lelt me down, and -"

"Enough!" screeched Regina, the flames shooting up so high that they nearly singed the tallest branches of the closest tree. "I don't take well to begging! Give me what I want and I could be persuaded to set you free with your life!"

"Okay, okay, fine!" cried Isaac. He would, of course, deny it later, but he was already snivelling for fear of his life. "I'll tell you, just please, move the fire back a few inches!"

Regina begrudgingly did so, and then growled, "There. Now talk."

"The sword was a safety valve!" explained Isaac hastily, tripping over his words. "When I wrote this alternate reality, Rumplestiltskin wanted there to be a way for him to be reminded of his quest should he stray. This whole book is supposed to be his revenge, his 'happy ending'. And in case he forgot about that, and his morals stood in the way of him acheiving this ending, a small slice from that blade would remind him of his desire to exact vengeance on the "heroes". After Charming killed Hook with it, I took it from Charming and gave it to Rumple, with the hopes that he would use it to remind himself that he had to stop you from breaking up the wedding. Instead, he used it to kill you, and when he did, I saw no further need for him to have it so I gave it back to Charming. That's it, that's the whole story! Now please, let me down!"

Regina did not let him down, but slowly asked another question of her own, "So if the blade's purpose isn't to kill, then I didn't die when he stabbed me. I just lost the memories that would get in the way of my revenge? My revenge on Snow White?"

"Exactly," Isaac sighed, relieved that the flames Regina still held in her palm were slowly fading. "That's exactly what happened, Your Majesty."

"So I'm missing memories," Regina deduced, the flames almost gone completely. "How many years' worth?"

Isaac cringed when he answered, "Once I tell you, will you please put me down?" Regina nodded stiffly, and her eyes widened in shock at the answer she received. "About thirty years."

Without another word, Regina released Isaac from his ropes, and the cowardly ex-Author was gone without another word. Regina began to trek through the woods. She had to find that dumb peasant and his child. They seemed to know who she was back when she encountered them, and they could be the key to unlocking her missing memories.

It was almost sunrise when the four companions were awoken by a less than natural burst of light in their cave. They all sprang up, reaching for their weapons, and were beyond words when they saw the Evil Queen standing before them in all her fiery glory. "I will not attack you unless you do so first. I cannot, however, keep that promise if I leave here unhappy, so let's just agree to cooperate."

It was the most reasonable Emma had ever heard Regina talked when she embodied this personna, so she took the advice and dropped her sword. She put her hands up in front of her and said calmly, "We don't want to fight."

"For once, neither do I." said Regina icily, raising an eyebrow. "It's answers I seek. And I believe that you may have them."

"We'll help you however we can, Regina," said Robin Hood, putting his bow and arrow on the ground and following Emma's lead. "Hurting you is the furthest thing from our minds."

"Speak for yourself, mate," said Killian darkly, his hook still raised in front of him. He glared at Regina as he spoke, and anger radiated from his body. "Some of us have been personally wronged by Her Majesty, here."

"Hook." said Regina distastefully. "How nice to see you again. Have you been doing well since you killed my mother?"

"Probably as well as you've been doing since your bloody knights attacked my ship last month."

"Oh, was that your ship?" asked Regina, feigning innocence. "Nothing personal, Captain."

"Oh, of course not."

"Okay," said Emma suddenly, interrupting what she knew would only escalate unless she intervened. "Regina, you had questions?"

With self-control, Regina tore her gaze from the still-angry Hook, and said, "Yes. Well, it's recently been brought to my attention that my memory has holes in it thanks to a cursed sword, and I would like them to be restored."

"The sword is cursed!" exclaimed Emma in shock. "How do you know? Tell us everything!"

Regina quickly recounted to the group in front of her all that she was told by Isaac a mere few hours before, and when everyone was filled in on how the current situation came to be, they knew they had be able to set things right.

"But wait," said Emma thoughtfully, looking at Regina in wonder. "There's one thing I don't understand. Why would you want memories that might take away your desire to kill Snow White? You are the Evil Queen, after all."

"Because I trust my own judgement," Regina scoffed, as though it was insulting for Emma to believe otherwise. "If there is a reason I shouldn't pursue vengeance, I want to know about it. I owe it to myself to know everything before I burm Snow White to a crisp. Besides, how can I enjoy it if I don't even know all the ways she obviously continued to wrong me in the future?"

It wasn't the kindest answer, but it was more than Emma had expected from the Evil Queen, so she agreed with Regina and assembled the group together to examine their options. She was careful to keep the tempers of both Hook and the Queen in check - they were villains, here, and as such, were unpredicatble.

"We need to get back to Storybrooke," Emma stated immediately. "It's the only way that Hook and Regina can regain their memories, and the only way for things to be set right."

"Now hold on a moment, Swan," Hook spoke up sourly. "You can give that bloody Queen back all the memories she wants, but I want nothing to deter me from my quest to kill Rumplestiltskin. Nothing that happened in any missing memories is important enough to keep me from that conquest."

Emma felt her heart constrict; Killian didn't know it, but it was her he'd said was unimportant. She put up the strongest front she could and said, "Fine. Do whatever you want, Hook. But we still need to get back to Storybrooke."

"I stand by what I said last night," Robin Hood stated matter-of-factly. "We need to find the new Author."

"Even if scouring the world for the Author wasn't enough, we would need Isaac's quill to begin the search at all," Emma sighed, shaking her head. "It's hopeless."

"Isaac?" asked Regina, her interest piqued. "That scribe I tormented for information?"

"That's the one," said Emma.

"Would his quill be in this?" asked Regina, showing the group a small sack she'd been carrying on her back. Everyone's mouths were open in shock as she explained. "He dropped it when I tied him to the tree. I took it with me when I went in search of you. I guess I forgot I had it," shrugged Regina, straightening her dress.

"I'll look," volunteered Henry, taking the satchel from Regina. Their hands brushed briefly as she handed it to him, and Henry looked into her eyes and saw nothing. Henry needed her to regain her memories - he missed his mom.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Henry began to paw through Isaac's belongings, and finally, his fingertips felt the unmistakeable feel of the quill. He pulled it up out of the bag, but his words, "I found it!" died in his throat when the instrument began to glow. Henry nearly dropped it in shock, but couldn't find it within himself to let go of it.

"No way," whispered Emma, staring at her son in disbelief. "There's no way..."

"What does this mean?" Robin Hood asked quietly, watching Henry's face intently. "How can this be?"

"I'm the new Author," Henry said almost inaudibly. Surprisingly, he got over the initial shock of it all quickly, and was instantly focused on the task at hand. "We can talk about how and why later, but I just want to get home."

Emma shook herself out of her shocked stupor and said, "Y-Yeah, kid, we need to get back," Her eyes briefly flickered to the stone face of Captain Hook, and added, "Fast." With every beat of his heart, Emma was sure that Killian's desire to kill Rumplestiltskin was only growing.

"So," encouraged Regina, "Write something!"

"I need ink," said Henry, looking around at everyone he was gathered with. "If I don't have the special ink, I can't do anything."

Emma immediately removed a small blade from her belt and put it to her palm, saying, "It was my blood you needed last time, we'll just use it again -"

"No, mom!" said Henry quickly. "It won't work. Your blood mixed with darkness is what they needed to create this world. And you're not the Savior here. What we need is a Savior's blood that's mixed with light magic." Henry's gaze flickered to his other mother, who was pracitcally radiating darkness. Still, his gaze held strong as he told her, "You don't remember this, but yesterday, you sacrificed yourself to save me. And I think it's your blood we should use. Your mind might be telling you that you're evil, but your heart hasn't changed. I know there's good in you."

Regina looked like she was going to laugh, but swallowed it back when she saw the expression on young Henry's face. She asked incredulously, "You're serious? You obviously don't understand, I'm the Evil Queen. I'm as dark as they come."

Henry's faith didn't waver. He simply said, "Trust me."

Everyone was silent at Henry's belief in Regina. Even Regina was taken aback by this boy's unfailing confidence. She was quite out of her element when she said, "O-Okay..." She took the blade from Emma, winced as she cut open her palm, and watched without words while Henry dipped the quill in her blood. He took a deep breath as he began to write on the paper he'd found in Isaac's satchel. Words appeared as the quill hovered over the parchment. Thanks to the sacrifice of the Hero Regina, Isaac's villainous work was undone, and the curse that was placed upon Regina and Killian was lifted.

There was a brilliant flash of light, and then, the Heroes & Villains universe was destroyed.

It was a day to rejoice, to be sure. Families and lovers were reunited, and the world seemed to be right once more. Everyone gathered at Granny's, and were beyond relieved at being restored to their true selves. Regina, especially, seemed to be thankful that she had not acted rashly while under the influence of the Evil Queen.

"How did you exercise that kind of control, Regina?" Snow White asked her, still shell-shocked that she and Regina had engaged in a magical duel. The idea was laughable, but she truly was impressed that the Evil Queen hadn't killed her that day.

"I was evil, but I wasn't stupid," said Regina, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "My vengeance was often blinding, but I could tell that something was really off this time."

Everything seemed to be back to normal - or, well, as normal as it ever was in Storybrooke.

The only thing that didn't seem right to Emma was Killian. He'd barely spoken since their return to the world they knew, only answering her in short bursts of words and seeming more distant than he had been even when Rumple had been in control of his heart. Once the initial conversations at Granny's had settled, Emma pulled her pirate off to the side to get to the bottom of the situation.

"Hey," she whispered, taking his chin in her hands and forcing him to meet her gaze. She was almost knocked back at how much sorrow was apparent in his blue-eyed gaze. "Killian, what's the matter?"

Killian's head bent forward in shame, and he murmured almost too softly to hear, "I just wanted to be a better man for you, Swan. But I said all of those abhorrent things to you, and I treated you like some common bar wench. I am so sorry, love, truly I am." It shocked Emma that Killian couldn't even look her in the eyes.

"Killian, we both know that what happened in that book wasn't real," Emma reasoned, her tone soothing and light. "That wasn't you, it was a curse."

"But it was me, Emma," argued Killian gently. "All that curse did was bring my memories back a few decades. For hundreds of years, that is who I was."

"Who you were," Emma emphasized pointedly. "But you aren't that person anymore, Killian, you've changed. And I love the man you've become."

Killian's head did snap up at that, his eyes alert as he stared at the beautiful woman in front of him. "What did you say, Swan?"

His eyes were bright, not daring to believe he'd heard Emma correctly.

Emma smirked, unable to contain a smile, and replied, "You heard me, Captain." She took Killian's face in her hands once more, this time for a much happier reason. She took a deep breath, and said, "I love you Killian."

Killian's eyes raked over her face hungrily, looking for any signs that she wasn't serious, and when he was satisfied, he crushed their lips together in a passionate, beautiful kiss. It felt somehow different from any kiss they had shared before; they felt that they were of one person, that nothing in the world could have torn them apart in that moment. They were a team, and no one was going to change that. But just before Killian was able to break away, and breathe lovingly, "I love you too", Belle had burst into the diner, shaking.

Rumplestiltskin's heart was almost completely blackened.

They raced out the door as quickly as possible, ready to exterminate whatever next threatened them.

What Killian wasn't aware of was that he wasn't going to get another chance to tell Emma that he loved her, too. Because just as Regina had sacrificed her life for Henry, so would Emma sacrifice herself to darkness for the entire town.

But Killian would find her. He'd spent a lifetime searching for the Dark One once to kill him; he would be more than glad to spend another searching for the Dark One to save her.

After all...she was his Swan. And he would go to the ends of the world for her.

That's all, folks! I was going to split this up into two parts, but I couldn't pick a good point to do so, so this is just going to be a super-long one-shot. I hope everyone enjoyed! I put a lot of work into this one, so any comments would be much-welcomed! I tried to keep it in character, but this was mostly just to get out some of my creativity as we wait for Season 5! Did anyone else see that Sneak Peek? I'm shaking with excitement already! I won't spoil anything, but may I just say I'm excited for Killian's journey this arc just based on what I saw in that minute-long preview. Once again, thank you so much for reading, and hope to hear from you! Have an awesome rest of your summer, everyone :) Oh! I almost forgot! Bonus points to anyone who can pick up the movie reference I gave Captain Swan in here ;) I'll give you a hint: It was in the unit that began with their fight.