Amends

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time.

Summary: Dreams haunted Zelena, fueling her guilt and self-loathing until she thought she would go insane. It may have been the guilt at work, but she finally decided that if a dead man kept trying to talk to you, maybe it was time to start talking back.

Ever since Hades/Zelena was established, I just write fanfiction all day, because homework is only a figment of the imagination, right?

Chapter 1

The dreams haunted her sleep every night. They were all the same. Her daughter would be bundled in her arms, and Hades would have his arms wrapped around them both. She would lean her head back on Hades' shoulder and crane her neck to look up at him. He would plant a kiss on her temple, tweak their baby's nose playfully, and gaze down at them both lovingly. They would be a family. And in those few scant seconds, she was able to lose herself in pure bliss.

"Zelena…?" Hades called her name, shock lacing the word.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sound. No, not yet… please, stop.

"Zelena!" There it was again, more urgent this time.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and turned around. Hades was there, on his knees, arms spread wide, with horror etched into his previously serene features. And from his chest sprouted a crystalline rod that was shooting flame, magic, and death through his entire being.

"Zelena…" he choked out again, in so much pain. "Save me!"

Tears slipped down her face. Every whisper of her name felt like an accusation. You did this… You… You! …YOU! She fell to the ground before him, caressing his face with a free hand.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, despite knowing it made no difference.

As soon as her skin made contact with his, one last giant tendril of flame shot through his person, reducing him to dust right before her eyes; all that remained were the fine grains that slipped through her fingers like sand. It had all happened so quickly… but not before the look of hurt and betrayal bore right into her soul.

And then she would wake up, and despise her own weakness. Why did this dream and his image continue to haunt her? She hadn't hesitated in plunging the deadly weapon into his heart, so why regret it now? What good did it do?

Disgusted with herself, she ripped the comforter off with a growl and got out of bed. She had to get ready for another day of making nice with the heroes. Even though she'd been the one to defeat Hades, to save all their hides, they still didn't entirely trust her. And if she weren't so afraid that they might take her daughter from her in revenge, she might have just told them to take their holier-than-thou attitude and go screw themselves with it.

No. She took a deep breath. No, she had to do this right. Not only for her, but for Regina too, because she cared for these self-righteous do-gooders. Letting out the long-held breath, she turned on the faucet and began washing the tears from her face.

Once her routine was complete and Robyn fed, she bundled her up and headed out the door. Teleporting would have been quicker than walking, but she needed the fresh air, and hoped the stillness of the nature around her would calm her mind. She would need it if she planned on spending the day amongst the idiot townspeople, and they weren't nearly as bad as the self-proclaimed heroes who led them. And besides, her daughter seemed to like it, too. Or at the very least, she didn't appear to mind.

Before she knew it, her feet had taken them to the main part of town. This was where things got annoying. The best plan of action was probably just to ignore everyone. She'd be civil if they tried to speak to her, but she doubted anyone would have the guts to do so. They still thought of her as the Wicked Witch. Well, let them. What did it matter to her, anyway?

She saw Emma coming from the opposite direction and stopped in her tracks. Her vision became red, and her grip tightened unconsciously. A cry of protestation brought her back from the dark path her mind had temporarily gone down. Realizing she was squeezing her baby too tightly, she loosened her hold, swayed the baby back and forth, cooing her back to docility. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she resumed walking. Keeping her head low, she walked past the Savior and her pirate without a word.

"Zelena…" Emma called after her.

Apparently her less than congenial attitude couldn't stop the Savior and her meddling ways. She turned around to tell the woman to bugger off, but her voice abandoned her as her eyes settled on a point behind the blonde.

It couldn't be...

Her original purpose forgotten, she quickly twisted back around and hurried away.

"Ze—" the word was barely formed before it was cut off.

She could imagine the pirate holding the Savior back, and her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when she heard his voice. "Leave her be, Swan."

Yes, let her be. She most certainly didn't feel like being an audience to their sickening displays of love—or losing her breakfast.

A thought nudged at the back of her mind, a feather-light touch. She shook it off and focused on getting to her sister's.

She sat in her sister's living room, eyes roaming around for something to keep her interest, but nothing did. It was funny how not so long ago, she had envied her sister all these silly baubles. And yet now there wasn't even the slightest twinge of jealousy.

"I know that look—you're thinking. Should I be worried?" Regina's voice broke through her thoughts as she entered the room, carrying a silver serving tray laden with a teapot and teacups.

"I was just thinking how far we'd come," she replied.

"You mean as the Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch?" Regina inquired, pouring tea for them both.

"No. I don't care about that." She rolled her eyes as she took her cup.

"Well, you can't deny that villainy seems to run in our family," Regina responded, settling back with her own warm drink in hand.

"That's not the only thing that seems to run in our family," she muttered under her breath. A moment of silence ensued, and she knew that Regina could follow her line of thought perfectly.

"It's hard, not to give in to evil—or wickedness, in your case, I guess—but it's wrong." Regina's voice was strained as she said this, as if she didn't quite believe them herself. "If you're thinking of getting revenge on anyone—"

She cut her off with a cry, "Who could I possibly get revenge on!? Myself? Those insufferable heroes didn't kill Hades, Regina, I did! Even if I wanted to get revenge, there's no one to get it on."

"I know…"

She realized her insensitivity at that moment. Damn it. She wasn't used to caring about other people, and her own selfish instincts still got the best of her more often than not. "Regina, I'm sorry. It's my fault what happened to Robin. If I hadn't trusted Hades, none of this would have ever happened." It was true, and she knew it was what Regina thought as well.

She watched as the barest hints of different emotions flickered over her sister's features, apparently at war with one another. It amazed her that they had become close enough over the weeks for her to be able to read her sister this well. Finally, one emotion won out. She thought it was defeat.

"No one was truly at fault—or we all were. I don't know. It doesn't matter. Pointing fingers won't bring anyone back."

She noticed her sister didn't exactly contradict her words, only made a sweeping statement, but before she could mention this, Regina changed the subject.

"Are you still having…?" The question didn't need finishing; she knew what her sister meant.

Biting her lip in a moment of indecision, she hesitatingly admitted to it.

"And…?" Regina prodded gently.

"And nothing. They're only dreams."

"Perhaps, but even dreams serve a purpose. Maybe they're trying to tell you something. Maybe you should listen."

"Oh, please!" she snapped, suddenly fed up, although she wasn't entirely certain why.

Regina held up her hands in a placating gesture, and she felt slightly guilty at her extreme reaction. She knew her sister had only been trying to help. The knowledge warmed her heart, since the gesture came at such a sacrifice.

"They're just dreams," she restated, voice firm. "How about you? Have you been sleeping any better?" If the heavy bags under her sister's eyes were anything to go by, the answer was no, not that Regina would ever admit it.

"I've been sleeping fine."

"Liar."

That allowed Regina to crack a smile. "So we're both too stubborn for our own good. Guess we really are related."

She took her sister's hand in her own and squeezed it, hoping the gesture conveyed some sense of empathy.

"They'll go away," Regina reassured. "For the longest time after Daniel died, all I saw when I closed my eyes was the image of Snow's head on a platter. There was nothing I wanted more than that. It became all-consuming, and I… I lost myself."

She thought she detected a slight tremor in her sister's voice, but when she glanced over, her sister was as composed as always. That was when she realized that her sister truly was a queen—someone who was always composed, who put on a mask for the world so no one could see her true emotions and guess at her secrets. Something she had never been very good at doing.

"You didn't get your wish, obviously." Or Snow White and her flock wouldn't still be walking around Storybrooke, all so disgustingly happy.

"Obviously," said Regina, the word laced with sarcasm.

"And now? Do you want Hades' head on a plate? O-" she faltered. "Or mine?"

Regina looked at her with a determined gaze. "No," she stated firmly. "Remember what I said before, I—we learned that revenge never works out, and it never ends well."

Zelena closed her eyes in an attempt to keep her composure, and against the backs of her lids she could see his face, frozen in agony. If only she had had a chance to tell him that—would things be different now?