Storybrooke, nearly 2 weeks later

Hades stood beside the Storybrooke wishing well, staring grimly at the sight before him. Rumpestiltskin had given him good information, he'd give him that much. No sooner had Hades left the Dark One's shop than he poofed himself to the promised source of magic. Taking off his god medal, he'd suspended it above the unremarkable-looking well and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. No more than a minute passed before there was what could only be described as an explosion. A moment later, smoke, black, purple, green, and all colors in between began to trickle from the depths of the well and into the medal. As Hades continued to watch in fascination, the smoke built in volume and intensity, occasionally punctuated with flashes of what looked like lightning. The more smoke poured into the medallion, the more it began to glow, starting from the very bottom tip and slowly moving up.

Didn't take a genius to figure out that when the glow reached the top of the medallion, and the whole thing was illuminated, he'd have the power he needed to open a gigantic can of whoop-ass on his stupid brother.

The problem? Now, two weeks later, he was only hours away from the stars aligning, hours away from the moment those stupid fates told him Hercules would defeat him, and the medallion still had a good half-inch of non-glowing mass left. And what was even worse, the magic smoke had nearly dried up. It was coming in the barest trickle now, getting fainter by the moment.

And then it stopped altogether.

Hades cursed and snatched his medallion before it could fall into the depths of the well. He had failed? He'd been this close and in the end he'd failed?

No! He didn't think so. He'd get the magic he needed if he had to wring it from Rumplestiltskin's scrawny neck!

Rumplestiltskin. The Dark One….that gave him an idea. The more he thought about it, the more his smile grew. This could work fabulously. He'd get the power he needed, put the ridiculously arrogant Dark One in his place, and make sure Rumple couldn't ever amass enough power to cause Hades any more annoyance than a gnat buzzing in his face.

Brilliant, really. Looked like it was time to make a new deal.

New evil plan made, Hades poofed himself into Rumplestiltskin's pawn shop, smiling to himself as the nasty little man jumped a mile in fright. He recovered soon enough, one hand covering his chest over his carefully tailored suit.

"Rather impolite to poof yourself into a man's business unannounced," Rumple sneered.

Hades laughed. "Yeah, because clearly the god of the dead and all of hell is concerned about observing the niceties of politeness. Say, how's that blissfully ignorant wife of yours today? Still totally in the dark? What about the grandson you inflicted with unimaginable levels of grief?" Hades shook his head, pasting a faux-sorrowful look on his face. "And they call me cruel."

Rumplestiltskin's lips compressed into a thin line for a moment before he spoke again. "Was there a point to your visit today, or did you just come to insult me?"

Hades wandered over to a display case, picked up an ugly little doll and turned it over and over, examining it. After a moment, he turned back toward Rumple. "Not gonna lie, I do find messing with you incredibly satisfying, but in this case, yes. I do have a purpose for my visit."

"And that would be?"

"It's your lucky day," Hades said with a big, cheesy smile. "I'm here to offer you a deal."

Rumple sneered, picked up his pen, and went back to the writing he'd been doing before Hades interrupted him. "Not interested."

Hades brought his hand down on the slip of paper Rumple was working over. "Oh this deal you will be. You most definitely will be."

"I sincerely doubt that, dearie," Rumple said, leaning against his back counter and crossing his arms, "but by all means, waste my time laying your idiotic deal out before me."

With a grin, Hades waved his hand and the previous contract he'd made with Rumple appeared. Despite himself, Rumple's eyes betrayed interest as he suddenly stood up taller.

"Looks like someone might be interested after all, eh?" Hades asked nastily.

"Just get on with it!" Rumple ground out.

"Here's the thing," Hades said, pulling out his medallion for the Dark One's perusal. "I have a bit of a problem. Despite draining every last wisp of magic from that damn well, as you can see, I'm still a little short."

"Tragic," Rumple said dryly. "Guess that means you've failed. Tough break."

"Not so fast!" Hades said irritably. "Haven't failed quite yet! I pondered my predicament.."

"Must have given you a headache. I know how hard thinking is for you," Rumple muttered.

Hades continued as though there'd been no interruption. "It suddenly occurred to me that there was yet one more source of magic I could plumb. You know what that might be?"

Rumple merely scowled, refusing to answer.

"Dark One magic," Hades said after a moment. "In short, I need your power to complete my medallion and make me ready for my confrontation with my brother."

"Then it would seem you're out of luck," Rumple said nastily, "because I've no intention of giving up my power."

"Not even for the right incentive?" Hades cajoled.

"Just what kind of incentive could you possibly think would tempt me toward such an idiotic move as to cede my power to you?"

Hades held up the contract, shaking it slightly. "Two words. Your baby."

Rumple's eyes widened.

"Ah," Hades said with a chuckle. "I see I've got your attention now! So here's the deal. You give me your Dark One power, and I rip up this contract. Your wife, your baby are yours, free and clear. I'll even sweeten the deal! I'll swear no pain or harm will come to you, your wife, your child or your grandson for the remainder of your life—no matter what crap might be going down around you."

For the barest moment, Hades thought Rumple would take the deal, but then his face settled into a mocking grin. "No deal."

"What?" Hades thundered. "If anything, I'm getting the raw end of the stick on this deal! Why the hell would you turn it down?"

"Because, dearie," Rumple said, "I happen to like my power. In fact, I happen to love my power. The day I willingly give it up just to make a 2-bit joke of a dictator happy is the day pigs sprout wings and begin to fly."

"Think Rumple!" Hades said, beginning to feel a bit of panic. The Dark One power couldn't be taken by force—at least without the dagger. It had to be freely given. "You're making a monumental mistake! Are you so wed to your power that you're willing to throw your unborn son under the bus just to keep it?"

Rumple's scowl deepened. "Perhaps I'll keep both. I have a counter-proposal for you: You tear up the contract and swear to protect me, my wife, my son and my grandson, and I will promise to fight with you, lending my Dark One power, so to speak, when you go up against your brother."

"So that you can stab me in the back and take my own power for yourself at the critical moment of the battle?" Hades scoffed. "I think not, dearie. My deal stands. Take it or leave it."

"Well then," Rumple said firmly. "I'm going to have to leave it."

Hades hair erupted in his rage. With a growl, he stomped from the pawn shop, without clear idea where he would go. Slowly, his rage cooled, and he realized all might not yet be lost. There was yet one person who might be able to help him get what he needed.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Belle sat curled up in her favorite chair later that afternoon. Her favorite book sat untouched in her lap as her mind wandered. Things had been good lately. Rumple had been more loving and attentive than he'd ever been. It almost made her feel guilty about the suspicions she'd had when he first came home to her.

Surely he wasn't keeping anything from her. Surely he wasn't lying again. He'd learned his lesson. After his heart had nearly become coal-black with the darkness, surely he'd taken his new lease on life and decided to use it to the fullest.

The little nagging part of her that still doubted, that still told her something wasn't right….well, she needed to just shove it aside. It wasn't fair to Rumple for her to let the pain of the past bleed into the present.

She heard a throat clearing from above, and she turned worried eyes toward the stairs. Henry sat in his room, writing away, at his new storybook. Writing the fictionalized version of the events in the Underworld seemed to have helped him…at least a little. He'd been frustrated because he could only write bits and pieces of the adventures. The rest…even his imagination couldn't seem to supply it.

Belle had advised him to put it aside for now, work on something else for the time being until inspiration for the Underworld story returned. He'd reluctantly agreed, and set himself a new project. He would use his time to write everyone's story from the time he broke the author's quill up until they left for the Underworld. At least those events he seemed to have a clear memory of, even if the words didn't flow as easily as they had when he held the quill.

Belle thought over the last two weeks. Henry had been surprisingly resilient, considering the trauma he'd been through after witnessing his almost step-father murder the rest of the family. He still grieved, of course. Occasionally, she heard a tell-tale sniff that told her he'd been crying again.

She'd suggested he start going to see Archie again, to work through everything that had happened. When she talked to the doctor after one of Henry's sessions, Archie said Henry was doing as well as anyone in such a terrible situation could be expected to. He was a bit in denial, at the moment, insisting something just wasn't right about the description of events Rumple had detailed, but Archie hadn't seemed concerned.

"It's just one of the stages of grief," Archie had reassured. "It'll pass. Just give him time."

Belle wasn't so sure. There was just something so…convinced…in the way Henry insisted things weren't quite the way they seemed. From time to time, Belle couldn't help but wonder, yet again, if maybe Henry's fictionalized version of events was closer to the reality than what Rumple told her.

She felt like such a terrible wife for still wondering if her husband was lying to her.

The doorbell rang.

Belle looked up, surprised. No one came by the house this time of day. She opened the door to find a man she'd never seen before. Nicely dressed in a black suit, he wore a big, cheesy grin. Rather than friendly, though, he was decidedly unsettling.

"H…hello?" Belle said, her brows furrowed. "can I help you?"

The man bowed deeply, his grin still firmly in place. "You must be the lovely Mrs. Gold. Let me congratulate you on your upcoming bundle of joy."

Belle's eyes widened. It was still early in the pregnancy. She and Rumple had yet to make their good news public. How did this stranger know? "Thank you…and you are?"

"Where are my manners," he said. "Names Hades, god of the dead, business associate of your husband."

Belle took a quick step back at the name, her hand coming up as though to ward him off. Her eyes darted to her cell phone, still sitting on the end table next to the chair where she'd been sitting. Could she get to it, call Rumple? Could he get to her before Hades did…something to her?

The man seemed amused at her reaction. "Yeah, I see you've heard of me. I've built quite the reputation. Although, I've gotta say. The way mortals seem to view me? You know with horns and pitchfork and a forked tail? Pretty damn insulting. And red? Red is so not my color."

Belle looked around for something, anything big and heavy she could hit him with if that should be necessary. But then, with a sinking heart, she realized it probably would be useless anyway. She'd never had the opportunity to do much research on Hades (although now it occurred to her that she probably should have, given her husband's last trip), but she'd wager hitting a god over the head with something heavy would do nothing more than make him mad. No, she'd need to use her wits if she wanted to get out of this alive.

"What is it you want?" she asked, forcing the waiver of fear from her voice.

"Well nothing to make you freak out the way you're doing now," Hades said, stepping past her into the entryway of your home. "I was just hoping you'd be able to help me with something."

"Help you?" Belle asked, crossing her arms. "Why on earth would I help you?"

"Because if you help me, I'll tear up the contract on your baby."

"The what?" Belle asked.

"Oh…well this is awkward," Hades said with a nasty little laugh. "Looks like there's something your Dark One of a husband forgot to tell you."

"My husband is not the Dark One!" Belle said firmly. "His heart was wiped clean several months ago, and he's worked hard to keep it clean! And what is this about him forgetting to tell me something?"

Hades shook his head, faux sorrowful look on his face. "Poor, sweet, deluded Belle. Always her husband's dupe. Tell me, sweetheart, do you ever get tired of being so damn trusting and naïve? Do you ever get tired of having the wool pulled over your eyes?"

Belle felt her heart rate pick up. Hadn't she been saying much the same things to herself over the last few weeks since Rumple came home? Hadn't she had nagging doubts about his truthfulness? Hadn't she had…flashes of moments where something just felt off? She knew better than to trust the demon standing before her, but…was it possible there was some truth in what he was saying?

No! She wouldn't believe it! Rumple wouldn't lie to her again! Not after the last time! Not after it drove her away and almost took his own life. She would trust him!

"I asked you a question," Belle said, voice infused with steel. "What are you implying Rumple didn't tell me, and what does any of this have to do with our baby?"

Hades grinned, big, toothy, looking for all the world like a wolf who wanted to devour her. "Simply this. Your saint of a husband isn't nearly so pure and clean of heart as he'd like you to think. When your friend Hook had his blonde piece of fluff run him through with Excalibur, he had the best of intentions. He firmly believed he was destroying the darkness forever. But do you know what really happened?"

Belle felt a deep foreboding in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't have answered if she wanted to.

"What really happened is that your husband turned that sword into a conduit. When Miss Swan stabbed her disgustingly heroic beau, the power was not destroyed; it was transferred right back into your husband. And voila! Dark One once again!"

"No!" Belle said, "I won't believe it! You're just trying to trick me! Rumple wouldn't do that to me; not again! Besides, why would he go to the Underworld to save a man he's hated all his life if he was filled with darkness once again?"

"Simple. Blackmail."

"Excuse me?"

"Blackmail," Hades repeated. "When Miss Swan determined your Rumple's duplicity, she threatened to expose his dark status unless he helped her get her pirate back. Then once in the Underworld, Rumple ran straight into my arms."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he knew I could give him what he wanted. I could get him home while simultaneously trapping every living soul that knew his terrible secret," Hades said. "Worked well, really. He helps me defeat my brother and gain ultimate power over all the known lands, and I trap his friends in hell forever so that he can keep his blissfully ignorant wife…well…blissfully ignorant.

"I can't believe that! I won't believe it!" Belle wailed, trying desperately to hold on to her belief and faith in her husband. But with every word the god of the dead spoke, the farther her heart sank. His words had the ring of truth, and if he wasn't, indeed lying….the evil Rumple had done to their friends was off the charts.

"Oh but doll, you haven't even heard the best part!" Hades said delightedly. "The best part is that I made him sell me his baby—your baby—before I'd take the deal."

"Rumple wouldn't…he couldn't…he loved Bae! He loves this baby! He'd never sell our child!"

"Oh but he did. Turns out there's very, very little the Dark One will not do," Hades assured.

"No!" Belle said, hearing the note of desperation in her voice. "I can't believe you! He gave up the Dark One. It cannot be true."

"If that's the case, he won't have the dagger, will he?" Hades said.

"No; he doesn't have the dagger!"

"You so sure about that?" Hades asked. "You know where he used to keep it. You sure it's not locked up nice and tight there?"

"Yes!" Belle said with far more conviction than she felt. "I'm absolutely sure."

"Then you won't be afraid to show me, will you?"

"Not at all!" Belle said. "He used to keep it in a safe in our bedroom. That's where I found it…before when the gauntlet from Camelot led me to it. It's now completely empty."

"Well then, how about you show me your 'completely empty' safe?"

Belle gave him a long look, and then nodded, walking swiftly toward the bedroom she shared with her husband. She would have faith in Rumple! She would believe he was telling her the truth! She had to believe when she opened the safe door she'd find nothing but cobwebs. She had to believe that!

But the moment the door swung open, the light from the window glinted off something metal. With shaking hands, Belle reached inside. When she grabbed hold of a wavy dagger inscribed with the name 'Rumplestiltkin', she gave a small cry and slid bonelessly to the floor.

Hades stepped in and swiftly plucked the dagger from her shocked, fingers. "Well, it's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Dark One. Love to stay and chat, but I've got to go force your husband to give me all his power so that I can take over the world."

And before she could even cry out, Hades poofed himself away in a cloud of deep gray smoke.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Underworld, present day

Emma took a deep breath as she peered intently at the Underworld lake before her. Beside her, Killian grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers and giving her hand a little squeeze. She looked up at him, smiling. It still amazed her sometimes how well he knew her—how he understood her without her needing to say a word.

He knew how worried she was.

They were only moments away from the stars aligning, moments away from finding out whether or not their plan would succeed. If it wouldn't…if Hercules had failed to regain enough god status to open the portal…if…if something went wrong and Killian couldn't return with them afterwards…if something had happened to Henry in the two weeks since Rumple and Hades had stolen him away…

She didn't know how she'd survive if any of those "ifs" ended up being realities.

Gently, her husband of two weeks turned her so she was facing him. "Calm yourself, my love. This will work. Only moments now and we'll return to Storybrooke and save our lad."

"You're really so confident this is going to work?"

He leaned down and kissed her (lightly, gently, conscious that her father was standing only feet away). "I've no doubt this will work. Have faith, Swan."

There were murmurs of assent from all around them. The Charmings, Regina, Robin, Hercules, Megara, Killian and herself were all assembled, ready to take advantage of the portal the moment Hercules succeeded in opening it.

It had been a busy two weeks. Emma and the others had thrown themselves into the task of helping as many people as possible cross to Elysium. It had been a monumental task, one that took nearly every waking moment.

Good thing, as far as Emma was concerned. If her mind was consumed with the task at hand, she couldn't worry about Henry, about what Hades was up to, about what utter filth Rumple was filling her son's mind with.

It was only at night, lying in their bed, that Emma had the time to think about these fears that threatened to consume her. Killian had been indispensable in soothing her at those times she was convinced the fear would kill her. What she would do without this wonderful, patient, loving man at her side, she didn't know.

She'd come so close to having to find out, and the thought of him being dead, being gone from her forever, was still such a recent and tender wound that she couldn't stand the thought of being apart from him for more than a few moments at a time.

But they'd survived the last two weeks in the Underworld, holding each other close and reassuring each other that it would be okay. And now it was time to get home, rescue Henry and kick Hades and Rumple all the way back to hell.

"Everybody ready?" Hercules asked, stepping forward until the lake waters lapped at his shoes.

"We've been ready for two weeks," Regina groused. "Get on with it wonder boy!"

"As her majesty commands," Hercules said with a grin.

He stepped forward until he was in the lake. Closing his eyes in concentration, he reached down and touched the rippled surface of the water. Instantly a small whirlpool formed. It grew and grew in diameter until it formed a full, gaping portal.

"Well, love," Killian said grinning, "I guess this is it."

Emma had one last moment of panic. One last fear that Killian would be repelled, forced to stay in this literal hell hole. If that happened… "Killian…I love you. I love you with all my heart."

"And I you, Emma," he said, gently cupping her face. "And I have full confidence it's something we'll tell each other many thousands of times before either of us finds ourselves here in the Underworld once again. This will work; have faith my love."

Emma looked up at him, her eyes darting between both of his. Finally, she nodded. "Okay, here goes nothing!"

And with that, she and Killian jumped together into the void. A moment later, the portal spit them out onto the soft grass on the bank of the lake in Storybrooke. Emma took only a moment to brush her hair out of her face before she turned concerned eyes to Killian.

He lay on his back, three feet away. His eyes were closed and he remained still. Emma's heart plunged. No! No! This couldn't be happening he couldn't be…

She rushed to his side, collapsed beside him and shook him gently. Vaguely she was aware of her parents, of Regina and Robin, of Hercules and Meg standing nearby.

Finally, he gasped and sat up. "It would appear, love that portals are far rougher on those being brought back from the dead. I feel rather like I did that time that horseless carriage ran me down."

Emma laughed and then launched herself at him, wrapping him in her arms and kissing him with a passion and abandon that soon had her father muttering irritably to himself.

"We did it!" Snow White said. "We succeeded! We got Killian back and we all got home in one piece."

"Did you ever really doubt we would, mom?" Emma asked.

"Not for a moment, honey."

"Well, I'd suggest we not waste time celebrating yet," Meg said grimly. "We've still got a god to defeat and our lives to take back from the villains. How 'bout we go take care of that before the partying begins?"

With that, Megara turned and began to walk away, but she'd only made it two steps before Hercules stopped her with a hand to her arm. "We've one thing we must do first, my love, before we can confront my uncle."

"Yeah? What's that?"

He took a deep breath—and then walked through her. Meg gasped, and then whirled around to look at him in shock. "What did you do, Hercules?" she asked. "What did you do?"

"The only think I could, Meg," he said. "Hades himself took your life. You've no hope to obtain it again…unless another offers his up for you."

Meg rushed to him then, tears in her eyes. "No, Hercules! You can't do this! I won't let you give up your life for me!"

"It's done, my love," he said, tenderly wiping at one of her stray tears. "I need my strength to defeat Hades, but the moment he is defeated, I forfeit my life to you."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth then there was a sudden whoosh, and suddenly Hercules' god medal filled to the brim, and he, himself began to glow like a lamp.

"Um…what just happened?" Emma asked.

Suddenly Mary Margaret gasped. "Hercules! You've gotten your god status back! Don't you see? Your father told you you would become a god again when you became a true hero. What could you possibly do that's more heroic than giving up your life for someone you love?"

Hercules held his hand out in front of him, turned it this way and that, examined it. Suddenly he smiled wide and joyous. "It would appear you're correct, your majesty. I've regained my full power."

"Perfect," Emma said. "Alright, let's go save my son and then kick some serious villain ass!"

Notes:

-Whew! I met my self-imposed Saturday deadline…but only barely! Less than 2 hours to go. It's been an incredibly busy week, and it's sure to get busier now that I temporarily have a second job. (My church music director resigned, and my priest asked me to take her job in the interim until they're able to hire someone full time.)

-So, the good news is that the gang made it back to Storybrooke without incident—and Hercules regained his god status, giving him maximum power when he goes after his uncle. The bad news is that Hades got ahold of the Dark One dagger and will soon have all the power he needs to become basically invincible.

-Up next: (The next-to-the-last chapter) The heroes find Belle and Henry. They waste no time giving Henry the author's pen. Will it succeed in bringing back his memories. Belle tells them about her visit from Hades. Can they figure out where he is in time to stop him…before it's too late?