So, this chapter is over twice as long as the last one. I honestly have no idea how, it just sort of happened.

I'm sorry it took a while but I didn't want my writing to seem at all forced (which it might with the ending) but please, do let me know your thoughts!


"It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."

- Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


Emma awoke with a start, her eyes blown wide as she gasped for air. The emptiness in her chest did nothing to ease her panic, and for every breath she took her lungs didn't respond. She couldn't feel them fill with air as se did everything to drink it in, she felt nothing there. Struggling to her feet she felt the pain in every inch of her body, some of it sharp others like a throbbing ache, it was enough to send her crashing into the stone wall beside her, something that did her no favours. Grasping at her chest, she felt her hand rest against her breast, feeling for something, for anything. She was greeted with emptiness. Her heart wasn't beating; her lungs weren't breathing – Emma Swan was dead.

"Hello," She croaked, her voice straining and pained as she fumbled for a grip on the wall beside her. Pulling herself painfully to find her footing, stumbling slightly as she did so, she tried once more. "Hello?" She called, sounding slightly more human, but her throat felt raw, scratched and unused. Gripping the wall, Emma began to try a tentative step forward, wincing aloud at the pain of movements.

"Stop." A voice said, and had Emma not felt so exhausted she was sure she would have jumped. As it happened, she didn't. The ache in her body was nestled bone deep, even holding herself up was agony, sharp bursts of pain shooting through her side, her legs weak and wobbling, threatening to let her drop at any second. If she'd thought her death had been painful, this was far worse. Should the after life truly have so much pain? Were her deeds in the land of the living truly so awful that it warranted such punishment. Emma wasn't even sure she wanted to know the answer to that.

"What?" Emma asked, eyeing the room before her, the crumbling stone alcoves and fire burning in the pit before her. It took a moment for her to realise she could only see fully through one eye, the other either too bloody or too bruised to be of much use. It was rather disorientating, and yet, she saw the girl who had spoken, huddled in the alcove just opposite and to the left of her own, draped in tatty robes, her hair matted slightly and hanging over her shoulders.

"Don't move." The girl added, her head leant back against the stone wall behind her. She looked in far better condition than Emma felt, that was for sure. Barely a scratch on her. But then again, who knew how long she'd been trapped down here, judging by her clothing and the softness to her face, her afterlife had not been nearly as short as her living life. "It's a trick. He wants you to think you can escape, but you can't. No one can."

"I'm willing to try." Emma replied, bracing herself against the wall to take another step, knowing it was going to be nothing but agony.

"Don't!" She exclaimed, her voice afraid, pale eyes wide as she looked at Emma. She barely looked sixteen, not much older than Henry was, and here she was, trapped and afraid in a cell, dead to the world above. Just like Emma was. She was still having a time getting her head around it. She was dead, Emma Swan was dead and (most likely) buried. "He'll hunt you down."

"Hades has done what he can with me" Emma said, bitterness in her voice as she thought of her family, standing above her grave in Storybrooke, weeping into one another's shoulders, Killian laying down a middlemist flower over the packed earth. But that wasn't true, it wasn't true at all. They may have stood over her grave, but they weren't in Storybrooke.

"I don't mean Hades."

"Then who?" Emma asked a little harsher than intended, but the girls vague answers were getting to be a bit of a frustration. Emma was in pain, her family was here, they were risking their lives for her again. She didn't know why she was so surprised. Perhaps little orphan Emma wasn't as buried as Emma would have liked to believe. Even now, with her parents, with Henry, and with Killian telling her otherwise, Emma didn't feel worth it. "Look, I'm getting out of here." Emma said when the girl decided not to answer. It was better to talk to someone anyway. What was the old saying, misery loves company? "And when I do, you're coming with me. Now the people I care about, my family, the man I love, are here to save me. If I can get out of here, I can make their job a hell of a lot easier." The girl seemed interested, that was for sure, her eyes looking up at the beaten and bloody woman with a faint glimmer of curiosity, and perhaps Emma was just thinking wishfully now, but even a tiny bit of hope.

"How do you know they're here?" She asked dubiously as she tightened her grip around herself.

"They got me a message." She said, her heart breaking when she remembered the sight, crisp and clear in her mind. Killian was there, his face as hopeful as she'd ever seen it. He was calling out for her, telling her he was there, but everything was distorted, like it was through a thin sheet of water, his words barely breaking through. But he was there, she saw it, him and her parents, they were all here to save her. Her family.

"How do you know it wasn't one of Hades tricks?" Emma could hardly say she hadn't considered it, the Underworld was new territory, Hades being far worse than any villain she'd faced before – she had the cuts and bruises to prove it. And yet, her superpower was working. There had been no inkling of a lie, nothing to tell her it was a trick, only a slither of hope that Emma refused to be extinguished.

"My mum always says, when you love someone and they love you, they will always find you." It felt weird enough to say, but it was almost ridiculous for Emma to believe it, especially after everything that had happened. But she did. They were here, Emma believed. "They're here. I can feel it. Now, tell me what's stopping us from leaving, and we can escape it together." She pressed. The girl looked hopeful for a moment, her lips parting just a breath as thought she was going to speak, but her mouth shut quickly and she shook her head, snuggling tighter into herself. "Well, I'm not just going to sit here. What's your name?"

"Megara," The girl said and Emma felt the urge to laugh, but the pain in her side when the chuckle rose up was enough to squash it. "But you can call me –"

"Meg." Emma finished. She'd watches Hercules, in fact, she'd loved the film. She should have guessed, really. "The Underworld, of course. I don't suppose you've got Hercules on speed dial?" It was meant as a joke to herself, but Meg just eyed her warily, seeming to reassess whether Emma was at all worth trusting. "Never mind. Time to go." Emma said, and with a sharp intake of breath and a shooting pain that fired though her veins, burning her nerve endings, Emma stepped down from her alcove, her stance wavering as she tried to walk toward Megara.

"Are you mad?" Meg asked, but got to her feet just the same. Emma didn't blame her for asking, she was asking the exact same thing.

"Probably. Or just infuriatingly optimistic," She said with a smile, more for her own benefit than the trembling girl before her. "But I'm also your best chance." Hesitantly, Megara took Emma's hand. Stepping down from her own alcove as the echo of a roar sounded through the tunnels. "Ready?" Emma asked, amazed how steady her voice was as she held Megara's hand with one of hers, the other pressing as hard as possible against her likely broken ribs without causing more pain. "Run!"

And they did. Out into the tunnel and away from the alcoves, but the thundering of feet was getting louder to their left, and so Emma pushed Megara to the right, forcing the girl down the tunnel, trying to ignore her shriek as she winced at the pain left by the action. Exertion was not going to do her any favours.

"I told you. We'll never make it." Megara said, and Emma was certain the girl was ready to run back to her alcove and hide away. Emma wasn't having that. Not today.

"One of us could." She thought aloud. Truthfully, she hadn't thought Megara was all that serious about whatever this beast was hunting them down, but now, with the snarls and grunts getting louder by the second, she was beginning to believe once more. "You go and I'll hold it off. I'll never out run it like this."

"You said we would escape together." Megara said and she sounded pleading. She was afraid, terrified in fact, and she didn't want to be alone. Emma could relate to that. She wasn't really looking forward to being a hell hound's dinner either, but there was a time and place for sacrifice. This might even work out best for the both of them, just as long as Megara could get a message out.

"I can barely hold myself up. I'll never outrun this thing, Meg, and then we'd both be trapped. You go, and when you're out, find my family." She said, clutching onto Megara's arm. Emma was grateful that she clutched just as tightly back. "Find David Nolan, Snow White and Killian Jones. My name is Emma, tell them I'm here. Tell them to find me. Please." She pressed and Megara seemed to consider for a moment, but then the beast roared again and Meg nodded her agreement. Her eyes were wide with fear, but Emma saw the determination and couldn't help feeling she'd put her faith in the right person.

"Okay." Megara said, but didn't release Emma right way.

"Go. Run!" Emma said, half pushing her off and further into the tunnels. Megara looked back only once, her face conflicted before she took off further into the tunnels, her purple rags flapping behind her. With a groan, Emma turned. The foot falls were louder and with a snarl, the beast came thundering around the corner, stopping short in the tunnel when it spotted her, weak and trembling before it. "Nice doggie." Emma muttered, remembering the tales of the hell hound from her childhood. She'd laugh at herself if she wasn't shuddering in anticipation – not the good kind – just waiting for the beast to strike.

Emma saw nothing but the flash of six red eyes and the sound of a deafening snarl before the creature pounced, latching its jaws onto her shoulder and dragging her back into the darkness.


"These are all my father's subjects." Snow said, her grip on her bow tightening as she walked passed yet another row of graves, the names somewhat familiar as that of knights or council members, but it was the names Snow didn't recognise that made her heart ache more than it already was. "I was supposed to protect them. But I can't protect anyone anymore." Snow said, and now she did turn to David, seeing the sympathy for her in his red-rimmed eyes. The tears had stopped flowing, but the pain was there. The torment of knowing Emma was in pain, agony even, and they didn't even know where to being looking. They were grasping at straws, choosing to look wherever they could. And they were coming up empty. "I can't even save my own daughter." David's arms were around her before the sob has pushed from her throat, the familiar feel of his embrace doing nothing to soothe her as it should.

"You are not doing this alone." David ground out, his voice sounding more choked than Snow was sure he'd meant it to. He was holding back for her sake, because that's what David did. He pushed down his own feelings to comfort and protect the people he loved, a trait he'd passed onto Emma. "Mary-Margret, we will find Emma, and we will find a way to save her." He pulled back from Snow, but didn't release her, his hands reaching to cup her cheeks, wiping the tears as they fell freely down her face. David was crying now too, unable to stop the flow as he saw Emma in his mind's eye, the blood in her blonde hair, the tears in her jacket, it was agonising to remember. By the look on Snow's face she was seeing it too. "No matter what."

"You saw her, David." Snow pressed, his reassuring words doing nothing to, well, reassure her. "She's in pain and we're just wandering around. We don't even know where to look." What perhaps hurt more than the image of Emma, was the hopelessness in Snow's voice. There was nothing enlightening, nothing to keep her going. She looked ready to admit defeat, to lie down in this graveyard and never get up again. But David knew she wouldn't. She may be hurting, and she may feel as though she'd lost all hope, but David had seen her this way before. It didn't shut her down, it woke her up. He just needed to wait for that determination to kick in – for Snow White to wake up.

"We will find her." David pressed once more, and even as Mary-Margret tried to turn away, her pulled her face back, blue eyes meeting green, trying to dispel his determination into her. If she wouldn't wake up, them David would be hopeful enough for the both of them until she did. "Now, we're going to help Hook search the woods just south of here. He may be determined, but no one is better at tracking than bandit Snow."

She smiled a little then, and as weak as it was, David saw the spark. It wasn't much, but it would be enough, just that tiny little spark of hope would be enough to set her ablaze.

"Let's go save our daughter." She said, her voice stronger than David had heard it in quite a while. He kissed her forehead, a soft, lingering kiss, and felt how she leaned into it. They began to walk once more, Mary-Margret's eyes still flickering to the tombstones, memorising every name on them, remembering a fallen subject. David heard her quite gasp, saw how she began to trail off of their path, her eyes misty as she knelt before a grave, her fingers reaching for the name engraved upon its surface.

"You knew Hercules?" David asked, failing to keep the shock out of his voice as he watched Snow's face fall.

"We were friends when we were kids." Her voice was barely a whisper, even more pained than it had been not five minutes ago. They really hadn't known what ghosts they'd been running into when they waded down here, but it would be worth it. Emma was worth it.

"Define friends." David said lightly, smiling despite himself. He was relieved when he heard Snow's tiny laugh. Once again, it wasn't much, but it was there.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" She asked, barely glancing over her shoulder to smile up at him slightly.

"It's not every day you find out your wife was friends with a god." He was glad his somewhat weak comic relief was having effect. Yes, they were both hurting, but giving in to the pain wouldn't help anyone, especially not Emma. They needed to keep their heads above water, they need hope, they needed to save Emma.

"A demi-god." She said, laughing slightly and David felt himself joining her. But like everything else in this realm, the laughter died. "He also happens to be dead." Mary-Margret said, her voice low as thought she'd meant it for her ears alone.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was giving you a hard time." David said, placing his hand on her shoulder, expecting her to revel in the comfort of his touch. Instead, her body tensed slightly, her shoulders setting as she looked at him, eyes wide.

"David, if he's down here, he has unfinished business." The point was obvious, David knew how the Underworld worked, what he didn't quite understand was why his wife seem so enthralled by the revelation. "We can help him."

"At the expense of finding our daughter?" David blurted out. He hadn't meant to sound as insensitive to Mary-Margret's greif as he had, but she didn't seem to phased by accusatory exclamation. "Mary-Margret, we can't –"

"Think about it." She said, using David' arm as leverage to pull herself to standing once more. "He's Hercules. He can help us." The cogs were ticking away in David's mind, but the pieces weren't quite slotting together. "We save him and he can save Emma. We can get her back." The smile that broke out on David's face almost hurt, the expression having been so foreign since, well, since the night at Granny's when Hook had mocked him about the alternate story book. The night Emma had sacrificed herself to the darkness, putting into play the events that would lead them here. And yet, they felt insignificant now. They had a plan – part of one, at least – they could find Emma and bring her home. But most of all, Mary-Margret had woken up.


"Hook, we've passed this tree already," Henry said trailing after the pirate as they searched the voice. His steps were sluggish; any determination he'd had to begin with fizzling slightly as he felt the harsh pull of hopelessness at the back of his mind. "Twice." He added, but Hook didn't seem convinced, continuing to pull at branches and inspect the ground, searching for what, Henry wasn't even sure. "The trail is cold."

"Then we keep going until we find a trail that's hot." Hook's words were blunt, and had Henry not known the pirate as well as he did he'd feel ashamed at the effort Hook was putting in compared to his own. But Henry did know Hook, he'd been by his side as they'd embarked on their quest in Camelot to find Emma, and he'd seen this same blind determination then. This was how Hook coped when he wasn't washing away the pain with rum. Henry opened his mouth to reply, to tell Hook it was time to find another trail, to continue their search elsewhere, but the pirate had turned to look at him, his blue eyes so open that it made Henry's chest ache. He'd seen that openness not a week ago in a different face, a different pair of eyes. It felt like a lifetime ago that he'd seen Emma fruitlessly try and save Hook on the floor of Granny's diner.

"Okay." He agreed instead, seeing Hook seemingly deflate at his words before turning back to what was likely still a cold trail.

"There's no sign in the north woods." Robin said, merging from the trees with Regina on his heels. They didn't look as wrecked as the rest of the search party, neither of them having been overly close to Emma. Sure, Regina and Emmma had begun to form something of a bond, a friendship almost, but with all the loss Regina had seen, Emma's had merely added to the burden. If not for Regina, then Emma wouldn't have become the Dark One. Hook probably wouldn't have endured his encounter with Excalibur and then the entire fiasco could have been avoided. And yet, Henry knew that his mother wasn't to blame, neither of them were. If being the author had taught him anything t was that life had a funny way of taking you where you were supposed to be, and here they were in the Underworld, Operation Firebird already underway. Emma was the hero to this story – the saviour – and he knew that heroes always got their happy ending. He knew, that even if the journey was bleak, that they would find Emma and bring her home. He had hope. And in a land as derelict and foreboding as the Underworld, hope was proving to be a very powerful thing.

"Then we keep bloody looking." Hook ground out, more frustrated at their predicament than he was at the individuals. He blamed himself, Henry knew, just as everyone else was somehow blaming themselves for Emma's fate. As much as he hated it – and he did – he knew that it had been Emma's choice to make, and hers alone. He wouldn't begrudge her that choice by blaming himself. Coming to the Underworld was his choice to make, after all. And Henry would happily walk through the fires of hell if it meant bring his mother back. He'd not had her in his life for long, barely three years, he wasn't going to lose her without a fight. He had faith in that. "Perhaps the bridge. Or the docks?"

"There may be a way we can search quicker." Regina said, talking almost to herself, the way she often did when a plan began to form in her mind.

"And how do you propose we do that, Your Majesty?" Hook's words held little bite to them, and Regina understood his pain, she simply didn't appreciate the tone.

"Easy, Guyliner." She said, watching his jaw twitch at the nickname. "In Storybrooke I had maps of the whole town, every last inch." Regina explained, and Henry knew what she meant. He had, after all, spent enough time pouring over the mas himself as a boy to know the ones she meant.

"And you think these maps can help?" Robin asked, adjusting his quiver more comfortably on his shoulder.

"Well, we won't be walking in circles." Regina said, casting a quick side-glance as Hook who tightened his jaw in response.

"No, but it could be wasting an equal waste of bloody time that we should be using to look for Emma." His voice rose at the end, something Henry had noticed as his emotional tell, something he did when his emotions were becoming too much, like Emma's instinct to run.

"I'll go," Robin said, placing a hand on Regina's shoulder to settle her. Clearly she'd been ready with another snarky retort, something that wouldn't be doing them any favours. Time was of the essence, and they didn't have enough to spar to be bickering in the woods. "You keep searching, I'll get your intel." He said, placing a quick kiss on Regina's cheek before turning to leave.

"Wait," Regina caught his arm, turning him back towards her. "Take Henry." The boy's ears seemed to prick up at that slightly. He was becoming so used to being told it was too dangerous and that he should stay put that it was rare for him to even be included anymore.

"It could be dangerous." Robin reasoned.

"This is the Underworld." Regina said, gesturing around them at the eerily tall, dark trees, the red sky barely penetrating the dense foliage. "And if Emma's situation is as bad as we think, then I can't have Henry see her." She spoke quieter this time, just so Robin could hear. If Henry heard anything, he didn't say. "Besides, with my mother gone the office should be empty. And no one knows it better than Henry. She reached for her son then, her hand grasping his with a reassuring squeeze, the kind that told Henry he was included, that he was needed here. He was as important to this operation than the rest of them. "He'll be fine. You'll be there to protect him."

"Let's go." Robin said with a nod, his hand clapping Henry's shoulder as she led the boy towards what was presumably the exit to the forest.

"All right, let's get back to it." She said with a sigh akin to relief. Regina turned back around to face the hyper alert and grieving pirate, only to find he wasn't there. "Hook?" She asked, confused for a moment before throwing her arms out in exasperation. "Pirate. Figures."

"Regina." His voice called from not too far away," I've found something." It didn't take long for Regina to find the disappearing pirate crouched beside a small plant, his fingers reaching towards one of the red-slick leaves.

"Blood?" Regina asked rather unnecessarily, the dark red ooze fairly unmistakable, even in the Underworld.

"There's a trail of it." Hook said, his fingers gesturing to the indeed red dotted plants. His fingers barely skimmed the surface of one of the leaves before coming away red at the tips. "It's fresh." HE said, and then he was off, moving far faster than Regina had ever thought possible for the handless wonder.

"Hook, wait." She said, rising form the crouch he'd falling into the inspect the so-called trail. Even if she couldn't see the leather clad pirate though the trees, she could hear him.

"Swan!" He called, voice bellowing through the trees. "Swan!" had there been birds, his echoing voice would surely had scared them away. "Emma!" He tried one last time, his voice breaking just a faction as Regina caught him up, recognising the frantic look in his eyes with clarity. Regina was no fool, she'd seen Emma's body, and had barely had enough to time to stop Henry from see it as well. She knew that they all had reason to be concerned for their saviour, but she also knew that Hook's rash attitude wasn't going to be doing them any favours in this foreign world.

"I'm not Emma." Regina heard a voice say from behind a large fallen tree, Hook stood beside it, brow furrowed as he looked at the ragged girl before him. "But I know her." She said and Hook's confusion was wiped away in a second, his hand reaching for hers, which she eagerly took, letting him pull her to her feet. She barely looked older than sixteen, and yet here she was, in the Underworld. Regina had killed hundreds of people of all ages, even burning down a village or two, but there was something about seeing someone so young in this world, the afterlife, that sent a chill through her.

"Who are you? Where the bloody hell is Emma?" Hook asked, delicate as always. The girl reply was swallowed by a snarling roar echoing through the trees, making even the leaves tremble.

"We have to get out of here." The girl exclaimed, eyes frantic as she gripped tightly to Hook's arm like a lifeline.

"What the hell was that?" Regina asked, but the roar only echoed once more, closer this time, an unpleasant feeling dread settling in her stomach at the sound.

"It's coming." The girl said, her voice shaking. "Hide me. We have to go now!" Regina didn't need asking twice, and she didn't much like the idea of facing the beast that was prowling the forest. With a flick of her wrist and a new, unpleasant churning feeling in her gut she allowed the purpled smoke to envelope to group.

When it cleared Regina was surprised at where they had landed.

"Not quite what I was thinking." She said looking around the familiar layout of the loft, the windows dark and the furniture hidden beneath white sheets as though the walls were simply behind repainted. "But it'll do."

"Aye, that it will." Hook said before tugging at the sheet covering the sofa, letting it fall to the floor with little care. "Lie down, Lass." He said to the girl before turning to Regina once more. "Do you think the owners will return?"

"I doubt it." Regina replied, holding up the frames picture of David and Mary-Margret for Hook to see. His brows furrowed at the sight. "Seems this place is just waiting for Snow and David to die so that they can move in. Creepy." She said placing the frame back down on the coffee table before examining the eerily bare loft, the walls the same peeling cream painted wood, but without the homely feel that Mary-Margret had given it. "It's officially a cold day in hell when I move in with the Charmings."

"Are you okay, Lass?" Hook asked, his hand on the girl's shoulder as he sat down beside her. Apart from her still trembling hands, she seemed okay – physically at least.

"I will be," The girl replied, wrapping her tattered shawl tighter around her frail looking body.

"And Swan? Emma. Is she alright? Where is she?" Hook pressed and Regina would admire his determination had he been a little more tactful in the approach. There was a trembling (presumably) teenage girl sat on the sofa having just been saved from some kind of beast and here he was half interrogating her.

"I don't know," the girl said, and Regina saw Hook tense at the words. She couldn't blame him, not one bit. They all wanted Emma safe and home, even Regina. Emma had worked herself to the bone to get Regina a chance at her happy ending, even taking the burden of the darkness, Regina had no problem helping her get home. "She's in an underground prison. She helped me espcape through the tunnels –"

"– Sound's like our saviour –" Regina said under her breath, remembering all too clearly when Emma had saved Marion – Zelena – during her time travelling adventure. Still, the girl continued like Regina hadn't spoken.

" – They let out in a cave somewhere in the woods. And then you found me."

"This cave," Hook said, looking at the girl intensely, his heroic recuse mission already being planned in his head, Regina didn't doubt. "Could you locate it again?"

"Yes." The girl didn't miss a beat, and Regina was sure Hooks ears pricked at her words. "But it's being guarded by something terrible."

"What is it?" Regina asked, thinking far more practically the Hook seemed to be. He doubted Hook even registered the girls warning of the terrible creature, decided instead that he'd storm the cave like the valiant hero he wanted to be and walk out with Emma in his arms. Somehow, Regina doubted that was how it would play out. If she knew Emma at all, she knew that she would much rather save herself. It was certainly a cold day in hell if the saviour couldn't save herself.

"It has three heads." The girl began, her voice shaking as she spoke. "It's teeth can crush your bones with a single bite. And those eyes," she stopped to look out of the nothingness she'd been focusing on, looking instead to Regina as though she could portray her warning clearly. "They burn right through your soul as it finished you off."

"I'm sure we can get past a simple hell beast." Typical, Regina thought, shooting Hook an aggravated look. Whatever this beast was, it wasn't to be taken likely. As determined as Captain Hook was to find his love, he was going about it far too recklessly for Regina's taste.

"Nothing can defeat this monster." The girl said, but Hook still seemed ready to charge the bat cave and glide past whatever was guarding it.

"That's not true. I know exactly what this beast is." All head turned to the doorway as they found Mary-Margret, her bow in hand, face still red from crying, but her slight smile more hopeful than Regina had ever thought possible in a place like this. "And how we're going to defeat it."


Emma had been in her fair share of fights in her life, bail bonds did that to a person, and she'd suffered her fair share of injuries, but nothing would ever compare to the pain she was feeling as she was dragged from the beast's jaws and rather unceremoniously let drop onto the cold marble floor.

"Oh, this is turning out to be quite an exciting day." A man's voice said above her. She'd have lifted herself up to get a better look but it would have been pointless. She could feel one of her eyes, the left one, bursting and swelling shut to the point that trying to see through it was a chore and she was almost certain that blood from her temple had dribbled into the other, stinging and burning slightly as she tried to blink it away.

"It will be," Emma managed to grind out, finding against her pain for just a moment to prop herself up on the arm that hurt the least, her bloody palm again the black marble floor. "When I defeat you." It was weak, Emma knew that, she was all but powerless here in the Underworld, her magic barely fizzling under her skin. She was pretty much defenceless, and judging by the echoing chuckle from the man who'd bent down to her level, her lie was nothing even close to convincing.

"Why does everyone say that?" He asked, flipping a blood matted curl from out of her face. She could see him now, having blinked away the blood from her un-blackened eye to look at the man above her, pinstripe suit and all. He looked like the office boss she'd never had, someone from a television drama or a soap opera set with a gangster mafia. She could even see a plush, throne like chair behind the man, which she was sure spoke for itself. "You can't kill me, and you can't defeat me. I am Hades," He stood up then, and Emma had to crane her neck to see more than just his shiny shoed feet. "This is death." He was laughing, the sound deep but mocking and Emma would have spat at him if she could've reached, but the taste of blood was still in her mouth and her throat was raw and scratchy. She'd only end up missing and it would be more embarrassing than it would be rebellious.

"I'm sure I can find something worse than death," Emma wished her threat hadn't ended like a question because here Hades was again, kneeling beside her to peel away the collar of her barely held together leather jacket t show the blood stained white sweater beneath it, holes cut through the wool from the bite marks of the hell hound.

"Oh, I see you've met my pet," Hades said, a smile to his words as he released Emma's collar, leaning his face down closer to hers, the smell of burning filling her nostrils the closer her came. "You, Saviour, are about to realise that his master is not nearly as friendly."


Finding their apparently much needed help had been a far quicker affair than Killian had thought. All it took was enduring the bickering between the evil queen and the blind witch behind the counter and then leaving Snow to talk the poor lad into helping them. Killian thought maybe 'lad' was not quite the right term for the demi-god who'd spent half a lifetime trapped lugging boats and various other heavy objects around the docks, but now wasn't the time to think of a better one.

They were making progress, albeit slowly, but progress all the same. Snow had even managed to convince the boy-god to help, to face up to his own demons in the process. It was all very poetic and Killian felt sympathy for the lad, he truly did. But every time they had to stop to give muscles a pep talk was time they should be spending finding Emma. Hook knew that Snow was venting grief where she could, sparking hope in others was her way of keeping the flame of her own hope alight, and Hook would not begrudge her that. It was just if they spent more of their time searching for Emma and getting her home they wouldn't need to vent any grief because they'd have her back, safe and sound.

They'd found the tunnels in the woods with ease, Meg's directions being rather thorough and well-remembered. Hook supposed she didn't want to stumble anywhere near the tunnels entrance again by accident.

They were in the mines, the path seeming somewhat familiar to those who had ventured through them in Storybrooke, Regina seemed to at least know which ways to turn. The problem was, they weren't sure which tunnel they'd need to take, Regina's knowledge of their schematics would only get them so far before the beast Meg had feared reared its ugly head and ceased their rescue mission once and for all.

"Alright, Wonder-Boy," Regina said as they reached what they were sure was the correct tunnels, eyes sharp as they looked for any sign of the hell beast. "Are you sure you can do this?" Her words went at all comforting, and had Hook not been sharing in Regina's concerns he may even have told her to lay off the lad. As it happened, he did, and so chose instead to level Hercules with nothing more than a questioning glance, eyebrow raised prompting an answer.

"Regina!" Snow said and Hook fought back very hard the urge to groan. Of course Snow would protect the boy, they were childhood friends after all, but that did not change the fact that Emma's life – existence, even – was on the line. Who knew how long they had left to find her, and if this demi-god was truly their only hope, then perhaps coddling him wasn't the answer. "I know you can do this." She reassured and even Hook could feel the pressure put upon the lad. As much as Hook wanted to be the one to save Emma, he did not envy Hercules and the heroic burden he was having to bear, Hook's guilt was a heavy enough burden without adding more expectations.

"We'll find your daughter," Hercules replied, his hans gripping Snow's shoulder. Hook wasn't sure if it was t comfort the still horribly grieving mother or to hold himself upright, but he also didn't ask. Regina, however, looked ready to mock the poor boy into the next realm. She was saved the trouble as Hercules stepped through the group, shoulders squared and his grip tight on his sword. He took one look at the tunnel before tunring back to them and he looked all but ready to turn and run. Hook could see the way the lad clenched and unclenched his jaw eyes searching Mary-Margret's in the eerie red light. "Wait for me here." He said before setting off down the tunnels, not giving anyone the chance to agree nor disagree with him.

It was short lived, of course. Hook should have known not to get too hopeful about 'Wonder-Boy', as The Queen had so eloquently called him, being their knight in shining armour. Hook would happily have faced the beast alone if it meant getting to Emma faster than they were. As it happened, he was left standing with Regina and Snow, watching as Hercules, their demi-god hero, came running down the tunnels towards them, the best hot on his heels. Mary-Margret had even gone to help, an arrow already notched in her bow at the first sound of the monsters growls.

Hercules was beside them, unarmed and Hook had a feeling he'd dropped his weapon in his haste to get away. Regina was poised and ready, her magic not overly reliable in this world but sputtering weakly none-the-less and Hook, well, Hook had his hook. They didn't stand a chance, but they were standing none the less. They only stood down when the piercing whistle cut the air, the beasts growls fading into silence as the heavy footfalls moved away from them.

"What the hell was that?" Regina asked, voicing their thoughts as they looked down the empty tunnels.

"I called him off," A voice said from the darkness, and just like that they were ready to fight once more. They weren't sure what they expected, but as a man dressed head to toe in a seemingly impeccable suit stepped smoothly into their line of sight.

"Who are you?" Hook asked, watching the man before them as he regarded each face with his pale, calculating eyes.

"My uncle," Hercules said, his voice not strong but still bristling with contempt as his clenched his fists beside him.

"Hades?" Regina sounded almost impressed, if not a little curious as the man took another step forward, tilting his head at The Evil Queen mockingly.

"Don't look so surprised. Who did you think was I charge of this place?" He gestured slightly with his arms to the walls of the tunnels either side of them, but Killian knew of this god, Liam having told him stories of the three gods as boy. The god of the sea, god of the sky and finally, the god of death. Now, Killian had already met one of the three having had his run in with Poseidon, and that had been far from pleasant. All he could hope was this one would be a little more reasonable. "Your Mummy?" He asked Regina mockingly and any thoughts Hook had of this god being reasoned with were flushed away.

"Well, if this is your realm then perhaps you can answer a few questions," Regina said boldly, taking her own step forward. Killian had to applaud her bravery but he also felt the need to roll his eyes at Regina's attempts at intimidating a deity. He'd tried it once and it hadn't ended at all well. "Like why does this Hell-hole look like Storybrooke?"

"I have my reasons, and I don't have to share them with you."

"Leave them alone, Uncle," Hercules piped up once more and Killian could see the lad was bristling, ready for a fight. It was an improvement from the boy who had come running back to them empty handed not five minutes ago.

"there's that famous courage people love to talk about!" Hades explained, gesturing towards Hercules with open arms, like a proud uncle showing off his nephew. This moment, however, was far less homely. "Oh, Hercules, did you really think you could face Cerberus again?" And the penny dropped.

"Again?" Snow asked, her brow furrowing in confusion for just a second as she looked between Hades and his nephew, the latter of which was making a point of looking anywhere but at the bandit princess.

"He didn't tell you?" Hades spoke up and Hook could feel the man's amusement even from where he stood.

"Cerberus killed you." Snow's voice was barely above a whisper, but they all heard and Hook could feel the hope as it began to fizzle from Snow. Whatever hope they all had about Hercules vanquishing Cerberus and helping them save Emma was slowly dissipating into the air like Hades laughter, leaving solemnness in its wake.

"I didn't want you to know," Hercules reasoned, finally looking at her and the sorrow in her eyes. "Snow, I couldn't let you down."

"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of, Nephew," Hades spoke once more, clearly revelling in the tension surrounding them in the enclosed mine. Whatever moment was being shared between the once childhood friends snapped like a twig as Hercules turned his eyes back towards his uncle, leaving a slightly watery eyed Snow to look after him. "After all, losing your life to my little pet is what finally brought us together as family." Hook was sure he'd have scoffed at the man's words of family had he not been feeling the slowly dropping weight of their situation like a bon his heart. Their chance at saving Emma and defeating the beast was dwindling, Snow White was losing hope and Regina couldn't even sass her way out of this. Hook couldn't help the feeling that instead of their heroics, they were to end up leaving these mines with their tails between their legs of risk the wrath of Cerberus.

"We're not afraid of you." Snow said, stepping forward and between Hercules and Hades like the protective mother she was. The determination on her face made it seem like she'd walk right past Hades, head held high and return with Emma in an instant. As much as Hook liked the turn out of the scenario, the glee that lit up the god of the Underworld's face as Snow spoke told him it would take more than motherly determination.

"Oh, Snow White. Or is it Mary-Margret?" He asked and Hook noticed how Snow's feet shifted slightly, her shoulders rolling back as she held her head up, her jaw set firmly as she eyed the god of death. Killian gave her kudos for that, at least. "My nephew said you were a spitfire, but trust me, you especially should be afraid of me," He said, and Hook felt his own muscles tensing at the man's words. "Because the next time you interfere with my family; I will come after more of yours." That was enough to grab Killian's full and prompt attention, his back straightening as he and Regina, quite comically, stepped forward at the same time to back up Snow.

"Bring it." Hook said, clicking slightly on the 'T' as he stepped forward once more. "We're not going to bloody rest until we find Emma." He ground out, Hades threats doing nothing to deter him, in fact, if anything they were spurring Hook on, getting the pirate riled up and ready for a fight.

"That must make you the pirate." Hades said, rather unnecessarily, his eyes turning to scan Hook's face, then his clothing and finally, his hook. "Killian Jones. Captain Hook, I have waited a very long time for you." Hades' face was joyful as he studied Killian's face, watching how the pirate's jaw clenched and unclenched, the nerve just beneath his jaw bone twitching as he fought not to punch this man into the afterlife. As amusing a thought as it was, he was sure that kind of rashness wouldn't do Emma any favours, and he wasn't about the squander any chance he had of finding her. "Well, since your lovely saviour likes to send you messages, I told her I would deliver this one personally." He lifted his hand then and hanging on the end of his finger was Emma's leather jacket, the ripped and barely recognisable material having appeared in his grasp without a trace. Hook heard Snow's sharp gasp and was sure either Hercules or Regina was comforting the grieving mother, but Hook couldn't take his eyes off the jacket, unable to tell what was leather and what was blood, the material so torn it looked unwearable. He felt bile rising in his throat when he thought of what possible state Emma could be in now if she was more in Hades clutched than before.

"What the bloody hell have you done to her." Hook snapped, eyes burning as he fought the urge to lunge at the man before him. It was a gentle touch on the crook of his arm that stopped him. He didn't know who it was, if it was Snow who he could hear valiantly trying to hide her sniffling behind him, or Regina trying to think rationally about the situation. Perhaps it was even Wonder-Boy, knowing that starting a fight wouldn't get any one of them anywhere. Hook still wanted to try.

"It's not what I've already done you should worry about," Hades said, a triumphant grin spreading rather manically over his features as he watched the group before them began to topple at the mere sight of Emma – a part of her, at least. "No, it's what I'm about to do." And with the slight tip of his finger, Emma's jacket fell before the god flourished his hands, his body engulfed by a torrent of blue flames as he disappeared from the mines.


"Why would I ever help you?" Henry asked, the powerful scent of whatever horrid perfume Cruella was wearing filling his nostrils in a painfully burning way. He was surprised it hadn't made his eyes water.

"Because, Henry," Cruella said with her drawling voice, smiling at Henry like the cat that go the cream. "If I come back to life, guess what happens?" Henry didn't answer, he had a feeling that he didn't want to. "The woman who killed me – your mother – is no longer a murderer." Henry could feel the cogs ticking away in his mind, Cruella's absurd idea already falling into place, but Cruella had already voiced his thoughts before he had the chance. "You see, by helping me, Henry, you can restore Mummy Dearest to the pure soul she once was." Cruella's arm was wrapped tightly around Henry's shoulder, smothering him slightly with the mouthful of back fur that pressed against his face a she held him. "And if I can come back,"

"So can she," Henry said aloud, not even bothering to keep the wonder from his voice. He could do it, even if Hook could split his heart, he wouldn't need to. Henry could be the hero and bring his mother back to life.

"You can save her."


"What are you doing up here?" Regina asked as she climbed the stairs of the loft, finding Mary-Margret sat on Emma's bed, her daughter bloodied and torn leather jacket in her lap, fresh tears falling down her soft cheeks and onto the ruined garment. "We still have to find Emma."

"I don't think I can help." Mary-Margret said, wiping under her eyes with her hand quite pointlessly since she was still crying, avoiding looking at Regina's face at all as she sniffled.

"We can't have you quitting," Regina was mocking her, she knew, but holding the tattered remains of one of the things that had made her daughter who she was, Mary-Margret couldn't find it in her to laugh. Not today, not anymore.

"I'm not quitting," she said, sniffing once more as he met Regina's question gaze. "I'm being practical,"

"Since when were you practical?" Regina's words had a bite to them, but Mary-Margret had felt too much pain in the past few days for it to have any effect on her.

"Since my daughter died." Mary-Margret's voice was flat, blunt and honest, something that made the truth of the situation really hit home. Even Regina felt an ache in her chest as the grieving mother's words. After all these years, Mary-Margret was fracturing, her defences crumbling without the hope that held her foundations in place. It was a horrific and heart breaking sight to behold. "This is all my fault. I thought I was doing the right thing. Hercules was destined to kill Cerberus. I thought it would help us get Emma back."

"But now is not the time to give up." Regina countered, but Mary-Margret had already looked away, her finger toying with one of the many tears in the fabric of Emma's beloved jacket. "Need I remind you that I dedicated years of my life to knocking you down? But nothing could ever stop you." Regina had never imagined she'd be in this scenario, spouting hope speeches to a mourning soul to get her back onto the mission at hand. It was surely a cold day in hell as Regina was sending way too much time with the Charmings.

"You took my kingdom. Cast your curse. I lost my daughter for twenty-eight years." Snow said, her voice sounding more hopeless than harsh and Regina had trouble thinking which would be worse. She felt as though she was cornering a terrified animal, like a wolf with an injured leg. If she pressed to hard it would lash out, but if she didn't do something then it would slip from her grip and be lost, wounded and alone. It was not a situation she was at all enjoying. But some things needed to be said and some debts needed to be repaid. Mary-Margret had been there for Regina in her most hopeless of moments, and even if the young woman's advice was rarely heeded, it was always accepted.

"And then you found her."

"And lost her again. Now I can't even find her, let alone save her!"

"You managed to defeat me in a way no one thought was possible," Regina spoke out, her voice softening. She had Mary-Margret's attention, that was certain, the teary eyed woman looking back at her with her sad green eyes, just waiting to be kick started once more. "You made me your friend," Thar gauged a small, albeit sad smile, but it was a start. "By never giving up on me. So what's the difference this time?"

"How am I supposed to save her, how am I supposed to help anyone stand up to Hades when all I have are speeches about hope." She sounded angry, self-depreciating and as much as Regina hated to say it defeated. Snow White sounded defeated, broken down by the words of the god who held her daughter fate in his palm. Thought Regina understood Mary-Margret's pain, she didn't for one moment accept it. She knew that if they let their pain of this loss get to them for too long, then this was a wasted trip. Never mind saving Emma, if they couldn't even keep themselves afloat. They had lost that battle with Hades, but Regina was determined that they would not lose this war. And there was no place in a war for a school teacher.

"You're right, Mary-Margret can't help," Regina said as Mary-Margret eyed her curiously, her tear stained face looking so pitiful in the unflattering red light of the Underworld. "In fact, we don't need her anymore. Emma needs her mother. We need Snow White."


Killian had no idea what Regina had said to Mary-Margret, and frankly he didn't care, not when it was enough to get her out of her stopour of lying on Emma's bed with the ruined jacket in her hands. In fact, it was more than enough. Killian had no idea how Regina had done it, but she'd not only convinced Mary-Margret to move, but she'd convinced her to put aside her crippling grief and to step up, to drag Hercules back into the firing line with her. And somehow, the two of them had defeated Cerberus – together.

"Maybe defeating Cerberus wasn't Hercules' only piece of unfinished business," Snow said with a smile, looking ast where Hook stood at the diner's counter and to the two barely adults sitting together, one with a blanket around her shoulders, the other with a shy and slightly awkward smile. "Maybe he needed to save her too."

"You doing alright, Lass?" Hook asked, seeing how Mary-Margret's eyes began to wander over the pair, a small, barely there smile playing on her lips.

"You didn't know me in the Enchanted Forest, Hook." Mary-Margret said, knotting her hands together in front of her. "But I was someone who took risks even when she was afraid. Who, I guess, inspired people. And I almost lost that." She said solemnly, but before long the small smile returned as she lifted her head to look at Regina. "And old enemy reminded me of that." Now Regina smiled in turn, clearly remembering their conversation in the loft, how the Queen had managed to rouse the bandit princess from her sorrow and get her to stand up once again and fight. To see Mary-Margret without hope was truly an awful thing, it seemed to leech the life out of their surroundings, but seeing her now it was something different. She was awake again, and determined. And that was what they needed if they were to save Emma. "I don't ever want to run the risk of forgetting who I am again. Espcailly with my daughter on the line."

"What are you saying?" David asked, stepping towards his wife with curiosity clouding his tired eyes. He'd been searching more than anyone else today, so much so that they'd not even been able to find him at times. It was only as the day began drawing to a close and the fight against Cerberus became a real threat that the prince made his way back to them. Killian couldn't blame him, after he'd grabbed a hold of Emma's jacket he'd wanted to do nothing other than storm the tunnels and demand her return, whatever the cost.

"I'm saying I don't want to be Mary-Margret anymore." She said, standing up straighter, her eyes brighter than they had been since they'd entered the dreadful realm, perhaps even a little before. "I want to be Snow White again."


"Do you think you can get to the prison through the tunnels?" Meg asked Hook, standing beside Hercules on the stone out cropping that Regina had led them too. This, she'd said, was where her father had passed on after his judgement, this was where he'd found his peace.

"Aye, thanks to you map," Hook agreed, holding up the folded piece of paper for good measure before tucking it once more inside his jacket's inside pocket. This map led him to his Swan, and there was no way he'd risk losing it.

"If it wasn't for Emma, I'd still be rotting in that cell," Meg began, her face unburdened for the first since Killian had found her, huddled and afraid in the woods. She looked far more alive, like this, like the pretty young woman she was, unburdened by fear. She was free and soon she would be at peace to. "You'll tell her that I did the right thing? That she was right to trust me?"

"Aye, she'd quite the judge of character," Hook said with a smile, remembering how she'd held a bade to his throat, her hand fisted in his hair as she told him she knew he was lying. What he wouldn't give to have that moment once more. To have her close, her fingertips brushing his skin, her skin warm and alive. "I will tell her. Thank you, Lass."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help?" Hercules asked for what Hook was sure to be the third, maybe even fourth time. Snow smiled at him kindly, steeping towards him on the outcrop of rock, eyes studying his face like it would be the last time she'd ever see it. Then again, with their impending paradise quite literally on the horizon, Hook supposed that it was.

"I think you've been down here long enough," Snow said, her voice encouraging as she smiled at the young man she'd once known and idolised. "And if you don't leave before your uncle finds you, who knows what he'll do." Hercules nodded his agreement, as did Hook and Meg. They'd witnessed just what Hades was capable of doing to those who had displeased him, sending Cerberus after Meg and torturing Emma was likely child splay to what he'd do to his own nephew who had deceived him.

"You will save your daughter, Snow," Hercules said, sincerity in his eyes as he held Snow's shoulders before pulling her into a farewell embrace before he embarked for the other world. "I was right," He said as he pulled away, stepping back so he stood beside Meg. "You became an amazing hero,"

And with that he turned away, his eyes cast out over the bridge and the blinding light that shone from the opening. It was glorious, Hook knew, and he couldn't help but wonder what would happen should Emma be faced with this choice, to move on and finally find peace in her life. He'd never even considered if she'd wanted to be saved or if she'd rather pass on and leave the pain of her past behind her.

Shaking the thoughts away he watched as Hercules took Meg's hand, the two of them beaming widely at one another as they crossed over the bridge, ready to be consumed by the waiting light.

Somewhere in Storybrooke, the sound of a clock face ticking could be heard, two moves of the hand for the two souls who had been set free.


"The prisoner you aided in escape," Hades said as he strode into his throne room, the sound of rushing water and rolling fire doing little to drown out the distaste in his voice. "She has moved on from this realm." Despite herself, Emma smiled, the action along making her face hurt, as she eyes Hades through her one good eye.

"I hoped she would," Emma said, groaning as she shifted her weight against the podium she was leant against, her back sticking to the bloodied material of her knitted sweat rather painfully. The smiled died on her face when she saw Hades draw his latest weapon, the metal sliding with the clink of a sword pulled form its sheath. She couldn't tell what type of instrument he held, but she did know it wasn't going to be pleasant and flinched unconsciously at the thought. "Just get on with it." She gritted out, biting slightly on the inside of her already split lip. The blood had long since dried, the wound clotting and ready to scab, but the pain was still there. In fact, the pain was still everywhere. She'd not exactly take the time to ask Hades why he felt the need to do this to her and she figured once she did she'd have wished she didn't. Emma was far more content biting back her pain and enduring what she could rather than give Hades the satisfaction of seeing her break.

"Oh, this?" Hades said with a slight chuckle, holding the instrument higher so Emma could see it clearer in the light. "No, this isn't for you," he said and Emma didn't even curse the sigh of relieve she felt slip past her lips, her good eye slipping closed just for a second as she basked in the feeling. "It's for your family," And then her, thought it wasn't pumping, ran cold, blocking out the pain just for a moment as she let his words sink in.

She tried to pull away as Hades drew nearer, but his hand had already encircled her, pressing the scuffed wood of the handle into her pal and closing her fingers around it. She knew what it was now, a chisel, the type they had used in woodshop, the kind that should it go missing, the entire class would go into lock down until it was found. She didn't want to hold it, but Hades was insistent, every time her grip slackened, he was there to tighten it once more until she held the chisel, however begrudgingly, of her own accord.

"And what do you want me to do with it?" She asked, letting the bitter contempt roll out in her voice, looking as Hades looked down at her like a teach would their least promising pupil.

"Simple accounting, really," He said, his face barely thirty centimetres from her own. "At first, I wanted your family to leave, I really had a smooth running operation going here before they arrived," he said with a chuckle, "But now I've decided they've caused too much damage and my vindictive side," he paused, whispering his next words at her with faux surprise, "Did you know I have one?" And then he smiled before returning to his well thought out explanation as to the carving instrument in Emma's grip. If she had the energy she supposed she'd could sink the chisel into Hades' flesh, see if the god bled as she did, but Emma did not have a vindictive side, and she'd seen and experience first-hand just what havoc revenge wrecked. No, Emma did not have a vindictive side, but she did know Hades had one. "It wants to punish them."

"So," Hades exclaimed, getting back to his feet. Emma half expected him to flap his coat tails like men in crappy villain films did, she'd have at least be amused by that. Instead, he swished his hand for just a second as the empty space before Emma became occupied by three bland, nameless grey tombstones, one of which Hades had taken to leaning on like it was a garden fence and he was merely having a nice, Sunday afternoon chat with his next door neighbour. "from now on, for every soul your friends free, one of them is going to have to stay" His voice was almost amused as he patted the top of the stone he leant on in what Emma would almost call affection way. "And you, Saviour, get to decide who."


As I said, this chapter was far longer than I'd intended, and some of it is paraphrased. Also my proof reading is crap, so sorry for any typo's or shitty grammar.

I felt the need for the Henry and Cruella story to continue since now Henry has much more of a reason to actually help Cruella. In the canon show I thought the reasoning was pretty weak. I'm sure being the dark one did far more damage to Emma and everything she did during her time as the dark one than killing Cruella did.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter and I'll try to update with Devils Due soon. Which should be fun as I get to incorporate Milah into it.