CHAPTER ELEVEN – Welcome to the Underworld – Part II: The Reunion

THE UNDERWORLD - THREE WEEKS AGO

KILLIAN'S POV

Killian stared at Meg, who had turned her head to face the fire, with curiosity for what felt like forever.

"Milah…" Killian began, struggling to find words. "…is here? And married to my brother?"

Meg turned her head to look at him and nodded her head with her lips pursed. All of a sudden, she burst out laughing.

"What?" Killian asked, a blush of embarrassment forming on his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Killian," Meg said. "I just had to see your reaction. God, she spoke about you non-stop for so many years. She and Liam have been good friends since the day they met, but no, they're not married."

Killian didn't feel as relieved as he thought he needed to be. He wasn't as horrified at the thought of Milah with Liam as he thought he would have been. Killian let out a little chuckle as he stared at this strange, strange girl.

Then, her words hit him. "Wait… for so many years? How long have you been down here?"

The girl let out a mixture of a laugh and a sigh as she turned her head back to the fire. "Well, people don't age here in the Underworld. I died about fifty years ago in the Enchanted Forest."

Killian was shocked. "What?"

"Yeah," she went on. "I was born there around fifty years ago. I went out for a walk in the woods one day, but went out much farther than I had expected to, and encountered Cerberus. As I was running away from it, I ran into this boy who was on his way to face the beast. He told me to keep running and that he would finish off the monster, but soon after, the beast caught up with me. I assume he took the boy too."

"Right…" Killian said, indicating that she should go on.

"Well, when I showed up here, this place was a fiery burning hell-hole in which everyone was subjected to a life in tiny cages that hung from the black sky. Then, everything changed. One day around thirty years ago, Hades reappeared after he had disappeared for a little while, and used a powerful crystal to change the look of the Underworld completely. Now, it looks like a strange village, like none present in the Enchanted Forest."

"Do you know why he did it?" Killian asked her.

"No. He simply worked his magic, and disappeared again, though I saw something in his eyes that day. Perhaps it was hope, though I'm not sure.

"Anyway, we were all released from our cages and free to roam the new village. That's when I met Milah. We bonded over a few weeks by sharing stories from our lives. By that point, she had been down here long before me. She told me about her husband, Rumplestiltskin, and her son, Baelfire. She would not shut up about you, Killian – do you mind if I call you Jones?" Killian gave a slow nod to the girl's sudden question. "Good. Anyway, she told me how she ran away with you as the two of you fell love. It took her a while before she could talk about it, but she eventually told me about her death."

Meg's words made Killian look towards the ground. "I failed her, failed to protect her."

Meg put a hand on Killian's shoulder. "I'll be having none of that, Jones. If there's one thing I won't tolerate in the Underworld, it's self-pity. We're all dead anyway."

Killian let out a small chuckle. "What happened next?"

Meg took a heavy breath. "Well… we just spent the first few years doing our part down here. Milah helped children attending school down here, to try to help with her unfinished business – her son. She felt bad for abandoning him with his father, so she thought that, by helping the kids down here, she could finish what she needs to get out of here." Killian turned his gaze towards the ground, upset by the fact that he was a partial cause as to why Milah was stuck here. "Oi, Jones. Eyes up here. No self-pity, remember? Good. Anyway, I spent why time working in a sculpture shop. Eventually, Milah and I met Liam.

"He had been working in a bar nearby that neither of us had paid much attention to. One day, we stopped by for a drink, and Milah and Liam immediately clicked. She found out he was your brother, who you had spoken about rarely, and the two bonded. They're just friends, but you should seriously see the way Liam looks at Milah. I guess you Jones brothers got good taste."

Killian let out another laugh. "I suppose we do."

He realized Meg was staring at him as if expecting an answer to an unasked question.

"What is it?" Killian asked.

"What's your story, Jones? I wanna hear everything."

"It's quite a long story…"

"Well, it's not like you have anywhere to be. You are dead."

Killian smiled. "Alright. Well, after Milah died, I spent several hundred years attempting to avenge her death and kill Rumplestiltskin—"

"Yeah, we've heard the tales of those who met their untimely demise at the hands—or should I say hand—of 'Captain Hook'," Meg joked. Killian glared at her. Her smile faded away. "Sorry. Continue."

"Right, well, in order to get my revenge, I needed a special dagger, so I went to Neverland to find it, where I also didn't age—"

"Well, that was handy," Meg butted in, nudging his arm with her elbow. Killian glared at her again. "What? It was a good pun."

"Aye… and one that I have heard too many times in my long life. Now, love, if you shall be so kind as to let me continue without the running commentary, I would be most appreciative."

"You got fire, Jones. Alright, no more interrupting."

"Well, eventually I returned to the Enchanted Forest, and continued to try and get my revenge. To get it, I teamed up with the Evil Queen's mother, Cora. She agreed to take me to a land without magic where I would finally be able to get my revenge on the Crocodile. In my efforts to attain a magical compass, I met Emma Swan. Though I didn't want to accept it first, there was something between us." Killian's memories of his beanstalk climb with Emma flooded through his head. "Eventually, I accepted that it was love."

Meg smiled a little at this. "I think Milah will be overjoyed that you were able to find love."

"Really?"

Meg nodded. "Well, what happened next?"

"Next? I fought for her heart. If I thought it took me a while to accept my feelings, it probably took twice as long for Emma to accept hers. I knew I had to prove to her that I was worth her love, so I helped her save her son, I brought her home, I traded my home for her—"

"What?"

"Oh," Killian said with a little smile. He reached up and scratched behind his ear. "Don't tell Liam, but I traded the Jolly—uh, the Jewel of the Realm for her."

"Really? You sold the only thing you could have called home for the past century for this Emma person?"

"I figured that anywhere she could call home, I could too."

Meg smiled, and placed her hand on her heart. "That's, like, really sweet."

Killian chuckled. "I suppose it is, isn't it? Well, she finally gave me a chance and let me in, and it worked. She fell in love with me. However, just as she was ready to admit her feelings, she became the Dark One in order to save her family and friends."

At his words, Meg tensed up. "The Dark One?"

"Aye, but has been fighting off the darkness since she took it. To give her some incentive to keep fighting the darkness, I chose a house for the two of us to live in together when we got back to Storybrooke. But, as you can see," he went on, indicating towards his neck. "I was cut while fighting a stubborn king and, well, now here I am."

"I'm so sorry," Meg said.

"It's alright though," Killian said, making Meg tilt her head in confusion. "I told her that I'd be happy knowing that she had her future in front of her, and I told her—well, actually I didn't get the chance to tell he I love her."

Meg stared at him in shock for a moment. "You… you never told her you love her?"

"Well, it was implied, but those exact three words were never said, no."

"The littlest things can keep us trapped down here, Jones."

"You think that that's my unfinished business?"

"I think there's a great chance that it could be." Meg paused for a moment, before allowing a smile to appear on her face. "But I also think it's time for a Jones brother's reunion, though it may be best to warn you now; I'm a stickler for tearful reunions…"

Killian chuckled as he and Meg helped each other to their feet, and began to walk through the forest.


THE UNDERWORLD - THREE WEEKS AGO

KILLIAN'S POV

"Bloody hell," Killian exclaimed as they walked down Main Street. "Why the hell does the Underworld look like Storybrooke?"

"Storybrooke? The town Emma's from?" Meg asked.

"Aye, the very same. This is extremely odd." Killian's curiosity faded away as he grinned as he realized where she was taking him. "Some things never change," he said as he stared at Granny's.

He opened the door and held it open for her, the gentleman that he was. He looked around and saw the back of their heads in one of the booths in Granny's. One of them had their long brown hair pushed back into a ponytail. The other's black hair had grey streaks in it. Milah laughed at something Liam said.

"Wait here," Meg instructed him. Killian did just that.

Meg approached the table, and Killian could just about make out the conversation.

"Well, how are the two love birds today?" Meg asked with a flirtatious smirk on her face. Killian could almost hear Milah blush, and almost let out a laugh when he saw Liam's right hand reach up and start scratching behind his ear. "I made this really awkward, didn't I? Sorry, as you two know, I tend to do that."

"Is there a point to you being here, Meg?" Milah asked quickly. Killian found himself not only smiling at how long it had been since he heard her voice, but also how red in the face she was.

"Oh, yeah, right," Meg said. "We have a new addition to our Underworld family!"

"It's not another one of those Queens of Darkness, is it?" Liam asked. "I cannot stand Cruella."

"I don't know," Meg said smiling. "I mean, he doesn't look like a Queen of Darkness to me but, hey, whatever he's into…" She indicated for him to come forward and Killian did just that, except with a shy smile on his face.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Milah and Liam gaped at Killian for what felt like forever. "K-Killian?" Liam asked, stepping out of the booth and putting his hand on Killian's shoulder.

"The one and only," Killian said with a cheeky smile.

Liam pulled Killian into a tight embrace. Killian opened his eyes to see Meg whimper at the sight, fanning her watery eyes with her two hands in an attempt to keep tears at bay. After another few moments, Liam pulled away and cleared his throat. He frowned as he caught sight of the wound on Killian's neck, which Meg had tried tidy up on their way here.

Killian looked over to Milah, who hadn't said anything at all. She had just stared at him in awe. After Liam took a step back, Milah got out of the booth and hugged Killian as well.

"It's good to see you, Killian," Milah said shakily.

"It's good to see you too," Killian added.

"Who is she?" Milah said with a smile after pulling out of their embrace.

Killian was slightly taken aback by her question. "What?"

Milah scoffed. "Please, the great Captain Hook is in the Underworld after all these years? You wouldn't have let yourself die if you didn't have anyone to die for and, since Rumple isn't down here, I assume it was for someone a little more… special."

Killian reached back and scratched his ear, realizing the awkwardness of his situation. However, Milah pulled him into another hug and said, "That's great, Killian."

Killian was about to answer when he heard the door to Granny's open and turned his head to see who it was. "Bloody hell," he said as he approached the small human, who was staring at a pickaxe in his hand. "You're one of the dwarves, aren't you? Sneezy, is it?"

"Yes, that's—" he said, but stopped himself when he looked up. "Wait, Hook?"

"Aye… how the bloody hell did you get here?"

"The Dark One killed me."

Killian glared at him in confusion. "Rumplestiltiskin is in a coma."

"Oh, Rumplestiltskin didn't kill me. Emma did."


Hey guys! Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you're all enjoying this little detour from the main story. I think that Meg's reaction to Killian and Liam reuniting is one of my favourite things I've written, just because I'm pretty sure many of us had similar reactions. Anyway, now that Killian is aware that Emma is killing people, he's probably going to do everything he can to get back to her. Anyway, the next chapter should be up within the next few days.