Emma didn't know how long she held him, as tightly as she dared, feeling like she was holding together broken glass that was one breeze away from shattering completely.

It felt like everything Killian had held together, every bit of strength he'd clung to while trapped down here left him in one instant, and Emma was only glad she was with him, that he didn't have to break alone.

Hearing him cry tore her own heart to shreds, only making her hold him tighter. A hot tear slipped past her lashes, joined by a second, and a third until they were falling down her face. He's suffered so much, and not only physically—what happened to Milah still making Emma's heart twist, for imagining that fate befalling Neal was something that made her feel sick. Knowing Neal was in a better place, was happy, had lifted the heaviest weight off her shoulders. She had no idea what Killian was feeling right now, and worse, she had no idea how to make it better.

He'd fallen quiet ages ago, long before the tear tracks dried on her own face, and Emma suddenly worried he lost consciousness again.

Through their embrace, she could feel it all too well. The quietness in his chest.

Emma's heart raced in response.

Emma's gaze caught on the crimson stains on his skin from where she lay gently on his shoulder, seeing both fresh and dried blood coating so much of his skin. Her eyes traitorously traced his injuries again, ones that looked like he'd been beaten with fists or worse to wounds she couldn't even fathom how he'd gotten… The burn on his palm that was nasty and swollen, the open wounds in his shoulder and chest, whatever was wrong with his back that made the little color still in his face drain away when anything merely touched it—

Emma desperately wanted to both know what exactly Killian went through here... and never, ever have to find out.

The fact that he had suffered alone, not knowing that Emma was coming, that she was trying to save him…

It made her feel sick.

And even though she did get to him in time to save him from the River, she didn't get to him fast enough at all. He had been tortured. For no other reason than pure sadism. Hurt past his limits, so horribly, so barbarically…

Emma's eyes burned, wishing for a time portal more than anything else in the entire world.

Emma let out a shaky breath, opening her eyes.

She needed to get him out of here.

Milah's fate only added to the incredibly long list of motivation to get Killian the hell out of Hell. Killian had brought up something she hadn't thought of, which was that she had no idea how long she could last down here.

They needed to find a way out now.

Emma pushed away all traces of doubt. She clung onto hope like the lifeline it was. They'd done impossible things before. They could—and would—do them again.

She just wished that her conviction didn't shake as much as Killian still did.

Her energy was very, very slowly recharging as she rested. She felt the strong pull to sleep but she didn't acquiesce. As much as she knew her resting would benefit them both, the fear of leaving Killian vulnerable was too terrifying. She needed to be ready for anything. Already, she was terrified that Killian would simply vanish from her arms.

She'd sleep when they were home.

But she did let herself rest, enough until the need to sleep wasn't as strong, and her body felt less like concrete.

Emma shifted, tearing her gaze from Killian to the cave.

It was time to find their way home.

The room held so many shadows, making it even more ominous. The River hissed and cast a green hue in the room. Emma hesitated her gaze on the wall where the entrance had been, before Hades had sealed it. Already she knew with a sinking heart that even at full power, she didn't have the kind of strength to blast through it. And there was no telling what kind of dark magic Hades used to create it. For one of the first times in her life, Emma wished for Regina.

The thought made her think of her family, of her parents and Henry, wondering where they were. By now they had to realize something had gone wrong. Emma had no idea how long it would take her and Killian to find a way out. If they took too long… would her parents leave? Something inside her knew they wouldn't, which only made her urgency in finding a way out fast burn hotter. If they tried to come after her, nothing was stopping Hades from trying to hurt them as well. New fear built within her.

Emma shook herself. Focus.

Tearing her eyes from the once-exit, Emma followed the cave walls, nothing but dirt and walls and the ominous green glow, until—

Her heart skipped.

There, hidden in the shadows, was a different cave opening that led into a tunnel.

An exit.

Her hope waned as quickly as it came, however, remembering Hades' words:

"I think being a mindless soul is too good for you, Captain. So, I'm going to leave you here, trapped in the underground caves with no way out."

Hades left this tunnel open, and that meant he believed there was no way out, intending for his captives to wander for all eternity. And as much as Emma hated it, if Hades said there was no way out, she was inclined to believe him. He's as infuriatingly brilliant as he is sadistic and evil, and he's already proven more than once that he's several steps ahead of her and everyone else.

Except…

He didn't know she was the product of True Love, and he didn't expect to be unable to touch or hurt her.

Emma smiled faintly.

He was not all-powerful.

There had to be a weakness in these caves somewhere, and she was going to find it.

"Killian?" said Emma. Neither of them had spoken in a long while, and except for a few hitched breaths from him every few minutes, he hadn't moved, apart from the trembles that still wracked him.

But to her surprise, and relief, she heard him respond.

"Aye… love?"

Emma's heart twisted.

He sounded so tired.

His voice was barely audible; she wouldn't have heard him if they weren't as close as they were.

Slowly, Emma pulled away from him, untangling herself from the slack grip of his arms.

His eyes were half-open, and every few seconds they fell closed before he seemed to force them open again. He looked like he was doing everything in his power to stay awake.

"I…" said Emma, concern for him building sharply. "I think I found a way out of here."

Emma's worry only heightened when Killian didn't react to her words, his eyes shutting and his head dipping toward his shoulder.

Worry spiking her heart, Emma cupped the healed side of his face with urgent fingers, shaking him a little until his eyes opened. "Killian, hey, don't fall asleep," she said, a touch of fear in her voice. "I found a way out of here, we… we need to leave..."

Killian blinked long and slow, seeming to be several steps behind. Emma didn't think he could have looked any weaker than he had when she saved him from the chains.

He needed rest; the adrenaline he'd been running on all this time was more than gone. Emma had no idea how much rest he had even been allowed while he was Hades' prisoner, or if he'd managed any sleep at all. If only by the sound of his voice, he sounded like he hadn't slept in months. He needed rest, and badly.

But they needed to get out of here and find a way back to her family now, before her own time ran out. As much as she wanted to grant Killian the rest he so desperately needed, she tried to think about how easily she'll be able to heal him once they were free.

But after a moment, Killian seemed to register her words, just enough to follow the conversation, if horribly delayed. "You… have?" he whispered. His pain-glazed eyes dazedly looked over her shoulder, like he was looking for it.

Emma smiled, glad to have his attention, and said quickly before she lost him again, "I did, it's another tunnel." She bit her lip. "But…"

"But," Killian finished, shutting his eyes, making Emma's heart skip, "Hades… isn't daft enough to leave a… way out," he whispered, opening his eyes with visible effort.

"No," agreed Emma. But with a little grin, she said, "But he considers this a trap for people without light magic. I know we can find a weakness in there somewhere."

A lazy, tired smile flicked the corners of Killian's lips. "If anyone can, it's… you, love," he said quietly.

His eyes fell shut again.

"Hey," said Emma quickly, brushing her thumb over the newly-healed skin of his face, her fingers shaking with her fear. "I know you're tired," she said, the words tortured, her heart hurting at the notion of making him push himself more than he already has, "but I don't have enough energy to poof us over there and…"

It took him a moment, but Killian blinked his eyes open again. He nodded shortly, wordlessly confirming he understood what she was asking. "M-Might need help…. standing," he admitted quietly.

Emma got to her knees, putting one hand under both of his arms, keeping her touch feather-light. She still hasn't healed even half of his broken ribs, and Emma was worried waking any pain would be too much for him to consciously handle. Her own energy was still far too low to heal anything and help him walk. She let out a breath, willing herself to be as gentle as possible.

Killian, very slowly, bent his left knee. He winced, but opened his eyes to look at it, releasing a breath. A hint of a smile touched his lips, like he was happy to move the limb without pain.

"Is your leg okay?" asked Emma nervously.

"Aye," he whispered. "You're… bloody brilliant," he said with another grin toward her.

Emma smiled, glad he was eased pain. "Okay," she said, taking a breath. "Ready?"

Killian shut his eyes like he was bracing himself, but he nodded, and together, they stood.

Emma held him as tightly as she could without pressing too hard, lifting him away from the wall, mindful that he had some terrible injury in his back. Killian managed to push off the ground to help, but Emma was still holding more than half of his weight. His jaw snapped shut, a deep groan slipping through his clenched teeth, making Emma's heart twist. Halfway off the ground, Killian managed to get his feet under him, but Emma could feel how unsteady he was. By the time he was standing, he was shaking harder and desperately holding back a cry of pain. He swayed badly, but Emma kept him upright. It terrified her to realize if she wasn't there, he wouldn't have even been able to sit up on his own.

Emma wrapped one arm carefully around him, keeping it as close to his waist as she could. She used her other to pull his left arm around her shoulders, holding tight to his forearm, and his fingers wrapped tight around her shoulder in a death grip.

"You okay?" she asked nervously.

He was panting, his balance still very off, but he managed a nod. And to her utter shock, she heard him gasp, "Don't let go."

The amount of fear in those words reminded her of that horribly agonized scream he'd cried out when Hades had dropped him to the ground that she knew would haunt her dreams for years to come.

Emma felt a million emotions squeeze her chest and she only held him tighter, saying, "I won't. I've got you, Killian, I promise."

He cracked his eyes open, the blue in them bright with pain and fear and exhaustion. But shining brightly through all of it was pure, raw trust. He gave her an incredibly strained smile.

Holding him tight to her, Emma said, "Ready?"

He didn't look ready. Hell, he looked exhausted. But his eyes shut, jaw clenched tight like he was bracing himself, and he nodded.

Together, they took a step. Killian grunted; keeping him upright meant she had a hard grip around broken bones. Emma loosened her hold as much as she dared to, and they took another step.

Their pace was incredibly slow. Killian stumbled a few times on the way there, making Emma grab him tighter, each time making him groan. By the third time, she felt his weight increase in her hold, like he was close to collapsing. "Hey," she said quickly, holding him tighter to her. "We're almost there, Killian, hold on…"

He managed to find his footing again, blinking open his eyes, and they kept on, approaching the entrance to the tunnel. They stopped.

Torches lit the tunnel all the way through, and it looked like it went on forever. With a sinking feeling, Emma really hoped that wasn't the case.

Taking a breath, they started inside.

Emma's eyes flicked around as they started down the tunnel, looking for some sort of weakness, some crack in a wall, some shine of daylight, something, but so far it looked like every other cave in this place. She sighed and kept on.

Not twenty paces into the tunnel, the ground began to shake.

"What the hell?" breathed Emma as the shaking increased. She felt Killian's precarious balance falter, and he started to fall, but she caught him fast, stumbling and reflexively wrapping her other arm around him to keep him from falling…

...momentarily forgetting about his back.

Killian cried out the moment her arm touched him, his cry cut into a groan, and then suddenly all of his weight fell into her. He collapsed, and she desperately tried to keep him upright, her heart pounding as the ground continued to shake harder. She lost her balance, unable to hold all of his weight and she fell back, doing her best to control the fall, to cushion the impact for him. She buried her head in his shoulder, her back pressing hard into the wall behind her, hugging Killian protectively to her chest as the world continued to shake violently, praying, praying, that this wasn't the end.

But just as quickly as it started, the shaking stopped.

Silence.

Slowly, Emma opened her eyes, lifting her head from Killian's shoulder. "Killian?" she whispered shakily.

He didn't respond.

One look at his face told her he was finally unconscious.

Heart still hammering, Emma looked back to the tunnel, wondering what the hell caused the earthquake, and when she turned her head back the way they'd come, she saw it. Her heart skipped.

The entrance they'd just come through was now sealed shut.

A solid cave wall stood in its place, blocking off their way back.

Emma stared at it for a moment, wondering what the hell the point of closing it was—it wasn't as if it was a way out—but she focused back on Killian, fear making her heart beat even faster.

He was absolute dead weight in her arms. She shook him a little. "Killian?!"

He didn't move.

Carefully, Emma turned him to lean him gently against the wall.

He still didn't move, his head having fallen to his shoulder.

"Killian?"

He didn't respond, even after repeating his name and shaking him.

"Killian," she said louder, her voice cracking.

He remained still.

Emma suddenly felt very, very alone.

She sat back on her heels nervously. Emma bit her lip, looking down toward the never-ending expanse of tunnel. There was no way she could carry Killian. She was just going to have to wait until he woke for them to continue on.

Emma shut her eyes, trying to quell the rising panic, wondering what to do. She breathed slow to try to calm down, and felt the little warmth in her chest—the little magic she had. Her eyes opened, and she looked back at Killian.

Something she could do.

She gently moved his shirt aside again, eyeing the array of bruising on his torso. Shutting her eyes, she pressed her hands to a dark bruise, closest to where she holds him to help him walk.

Emma managed to heal two of his ribs before she blinked heavy, her balance swaying with her own exhaustion. She stopped working on the next rib, letting herself rest before she fell over, laying against Killian, shutting her eyes, only for a moment. Unable to help herself, she pressed her hand back to the rib she was working on, pulling forth her magic again.

It was half-healed when her hand slipped from his chest, unconsciousness pulling her down as she used the very last of her strength.

Her last thought before it took her was of Killian, of how much she had missed falling asleep beside him, and of how much more she missed feeling the steady beat of his heart inside his chest.