Swan Song ❂ Killian Jones [1]

99

"What are you two doing here?" Snow asked curiously, surprised to see Regina and Rumplestiltskin standing in front of them.

"Well, same as you, except we actually have a chance." Regina now smiled as she motioned to something held in the Dark One's hands. "Pandora's box. It could trap Pan for eternity simply by opening the lid." She explained the object.

"You didn't tell me my father was with her." Odette, standing with Killian on one side, and Neal on the other, easily overheard when the latter silently spoke to Emma. She sent him a confused look, wondering why it may be an issue. Sure, things were tense between father and son, but having the help of Rumplestiltskin certainly couldn't be a bad thing when their causes were one and the same.

"I didn't know." Emma simply answered him.

"Wait, your father is the Dark One?" Tinker Bell asked in surprise.

"Yeah, and he's not getting anywhere near Henry." Neal announced, making everyone turn confused at the proclamation. Especially as Gold seemed to try and speak up with a pleading look sent to his son.

"What does that mean? Why?" Odette asked suspiciously.

"There's a prophecy that says that Henry will be his undoing. He didn't come here to protect him. He came here to kill him." Neal's announced had all of them back on alert, stepping away from the Dark One and so did Regina.

"That's why you didn't want to find Neal before you got Henry back? Because you knew he'd spill your secret." The queen accused; voice full of realization as she thought back to whatever happened during their time alone on the island.

"Everything I did was to protect Henry, to rescue him from Pan." Gold tried to reassure them, but no one believed it. Not when so many signs were pointing in the other direction.

"It all makes sense. You left before we even made shore." Emma's eyes widened as she thought back to it, sword rising into the air shortly after as she pointed it straight at him. And Snow wasn't far behind her, and arrow quickly notched in her bow and pointed in the Dark One's direction.

"You wanted to get to Henry first..." She said.

"To be on his own..." David connected the dots further, drawing his sword once again.

"So no one could stop you..." Hook raised his own, having no qualms about standing up to the Dark One to defend the boy they were all here to save.

"So you can kill him." Regina finished for them.

"Not happening." Odette rose her own sword, making sure she got the sides right. If dreamshade was what Killian used the last time, this time should work too.

"Not unless you go through all of us first." Emma dared.

"You're making a mistake." He tried to reassure all those facing him, weapons pointed at him, ready to fight no matter the odds. "I don't care if the boy is destined to be my undoing. I won't hurt him."

"Because that sounds just like you." Regina scowled.

"Without me, you will fail. I'm the most powerful amongst us." Rumplestiltskin tried to convince them of his value, making Odette raise a dubious eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure we know how to open a box." She bit back.

"We can't trust you." Neal stated the simple truth. So many of them have already seen the Dark One and the way he treats any threat to power. If Henry was his ultimate threat, no one trusted the Dark One to step anywhere near him.

"If I could give you my dagger, I would. But I can't." Gold said, and Odette couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. How convenient.

"But you can give me Pandora's box." Neal said as the idea came to his mind. "I don't have to trust you if I could stop you." He pointed out. For a while, everyone remained quiet, watching as the Dark One silently pleaded with his son, yearning for his trust, but when it became clear it wouldn't happen, he relented.