Chapter 11

The Land Of Lost Souls

They arrived in the Underworld and were surprised it looked just like Storybrooke. Regina guessed whoever created the Dark Curse based it on the Underworld. They searched everywhere agreeing to meet up at Granny's Diner which was ran by the blind witch. When Emma arrived she declared "this is hopeless, I don't even know if he's hopeless, I don't even know if he's here, what if he has no unfinished business".

Gold replied "he died the Dark One, trust me he's here. Now if Storybrooke is down here, my shop is down here and I may have something in there that can help, but if you want to try pure luck go ahead".

He left as Henry and Tally came in from the bed and breakfast. Emma asked "what were you doing in there"?

Tally answered "we thought since he's new here he was staying in the bed and breakfast".

Henry added "we tried all the rooms but none had any sign of him".

Hook came in and said "sorry, I checked the docks and beach like you asked and no sign of him ".

Regina had noticed a man she'd killed a long time ago following her. In order to find out why she let him lead her to the Underground's version of her office. When she entered she saw her mother, her hair was down and she was wearing a suit but it was Cora. Regina approached her slowly "I had hoped you were alright".

Cora replied "I am, for the most part" and she hugged her.

"But if you're here you have unfinished business".

"I do, it's you Regina, I want to help you".

"Then help me find Neal, you remember him, Emma's husband, Rumpelstiltskin's son".

"I remember, but that's a fool's errand".

"But I have to help my friends find him, Emma's determined to bring him back".

"Your friends, they're holding you back, and I want you to be happy".

"My friends make me happy".

"That's just an illusion you think is true. It wasn't easy but I was able to arrange a boat to take you home. It leaves in one hour, take Henry and your thief and go home".

"I can't do that mother".

"I know it's hard to believe me after everything, but I do love you my dear, so you remember what my last words to you were"?

"I would have been enough".

"You would have but it just took me too long to realize it, to realize what a gift life is. Do not make the same mistake".

"And what if I don't, what if I choose not to listen to you"?

"Even without my heart I always tried to do what was best for you, like any mother would, no matter what".

Cora teleported them to the bridge between the underworld and the afterlife. The man Cora has sent to spy on was standing on a ledge. Regina asked "where are we"?

Cora said "for most of us in the Underworld there's only two ways out, here. You have to stand on that ledge, if you've finished your unfinished business you can bridge to a better place but if you haven't..." She lifted her hand summoning a spiral of flames that engulfed the man. "This is your fate if you stay" the man was dragged down.

Regina said "you killed him".

"Well, he was already dead, I just sent him to a worse place". Cora faced Regina "but you my sweet girl have a way out. You're not dead yet so you can still go back but not for long and if you are not on that boat someone will suffer for your stubbornness".

"Are you threatening my life mother"?

"Oh no not you, your father".

Meanwhile Tally caught up to Mr Gold and they went to his shop. Breaking the silence Gold said "we haven't really spoken since the whole heroes and villains thing".

Tally replied "so why start now"?

"Are you going to stay mad at me forever"?

"Ask me again once we save my dad".

"I seem to remember a time when you loved me".

"If you want me to love you again stop doing things to make me hate you" Tally replied as they went into the shop. They layout of the shop was the same but there were fewer things. However there was a spinning wheel, a wand, the puppets of Geppetto's parents. Then Gold noticed a straw doll he thought he was free of. He tried not to let it get to him as he went behind the counter and opened the safe. "You won't find anything in there". Gold and Tally turned around and saw Pan. Tally immediately put up her fists. "Well, well look who's grown a spine, a difference from that screaming little girl from before".

Tally replied "a lot has happened since then you... rat".

"Now is that any way to speak to your great grandfather".

Mr Gold interjected "you may have sired me, that doesn't make you my father, nor Bae's grandfather, certainly not Henry and Tally's great grandfather".

Pan said "feel free to look around MY shop, but you won't find anything unless I want you to. But I'm willing to leave the past in the past and give you exactly what you want".

Tally asked "what makes you think you know what we want"?

Pan produced a vial of liquid "sprinkle this over someone's grave and you can speak to someone who has died".

Gold asked "and how many strings are attached to it"?

"I meant what I said before I died",

Tally commented "that you could play with us like a pack of dolls".

Pan said "no, that I want to start over with my son".

Gold replied "never going to happen, besides I'm only here for a visit and as soon as I finish what I came here to do I'm going back the world of the living".

"And I want to go with you".

Tally said "the dead can only return given special circumstances".

Pan said "I know, and suddenly a surplus of living souls have come into the Underworld, now maybe one of them doesn't make the trip back but I do".

Mr Gold replied "not interested" making Tally smile smugly.

"No yet" pan said. "But later who knows". He held up to vial and said "this is on the house today, a gesture of good will, from a father to his son. After all isn't a father saving his son why you're down here".

Gold ripped the vial from his hands and Pan left. Tally said "I don't trust him".

"That makes two of us".

When everyone re-met at the blind witch's diner Regina told them all what her mother had told her as Gold and Tally arrived. Mary-Margaret said "she'd really throw your father, her husband into a fiery pit to a worst place".

Tally said "who'd really do what to who"?

Regina said "my mother. She's threatening to send my father to a worst place if I don't go back. If was my fault he's even down here".

Tally asked "how".

Henry replied "to cast the curse she had to sacrifice the heart of the person she loves the most, which at the time was".

Regina added "my father, he was always there for me, he wanted me to be happy, and I wish I had listened to his advice".

Mary-Margaret said "Cora didn't have a heart but Henry Sr did. He wanted you to let go of your vengeance, to be happy".

Regina said "maybe I should get on that boat".

Emma agreed and Mary-Margaret and David didn't until Gold stepped in. "At my shop I got this" he said holding up the vial.

Robin asked "what is it"?

"An ancient magic which allows you to speak with the dearly departed. Simply sprinkle this over Bae's grave and we can stop guessing where he is and just ask him"?

Emma asked "and Neal has a grave down here".

"Everyone who has been or are here has a grave. I would expect the graveyard to be right where we remember it"

Mary-Margaret said "then we could find him before the boat leaves. We could all get out of here together".

Gold said "I suggest we get to it". Tally eyed her grandpa wondering if he was going to tell them where he got it but even if he didn't they were leaving soon and there wasn't much time for him to double cross one of them.

They went to the graveyard and found a headstone reading

Neal

Swan-Cassidy

When Emma poured the liquid on the grave an image of Neal appeared. But he was bloody and bruised and his image kept flickering. Gold held Tally and pushed her head to his chest so she wouldn't have to see him looking so bad and Regina did the same with Henry. Emma said "Neal, we came here to get you home, we just need to know where you are"?

The image just kept flickering Robin asked "what's happening"?

Regina said "the spell, it isn't stable. I'm not sure he can even hear us". Then the image just flickered out.

Emma commented "he doesn't know we came for him. He doesn't know I care".

Hook replied "no, he died knowing you loved him, true I doubt coming down here to bring him back crossed his mind".

Mary-Margaret said determinedly "we are going to find him".

Emma asked "are we? You saw him, he's suffering, he's in pain, what's worse is I'm the reason he's stuck down here. Maybe this endeavour is hopeless. Cora has a boat coming, you should go, this is what I wanted and I'm going to see it through but you should all go".

David replied "no, if Cora can find a way out so can we, after we get Neal".

As they were about to leave the graveyard Regina asked Emma if she had any potion left because she desperately needed to talk to someone. There was a little, but enough for one quick chat and Emma gave it to Regina. Everyone waited just outside the graveyard for Regina to have her talk. When she came out she told them her chat had been with her father. He had so many regret he didn't even know which one was his unfinished business. And he wanted her to stay so if he was sent to a worse place then at least the last thing he saw was his little girl staying loyal to her friends. On her way out of the graveyard she went straight past her friends to where she knew her mother would be with her father to stop her. When she walked past them Henry followed her and Tally followed him. When they got to the bridge to the underworld there was Cora guarding Henry Sr who was on the ledge of the bridge. When Cora saw her she said "you should be on that boat".

Regina shook her head "I won't be bullied by you again, I can't abandon everyone I care about".

"I'm not trying to bully you Regina, I'm trying to help you. I know staying to help your friends sounds like the right choice but life doesn't work like that".

Tally said "technically this isn't life, it's afterlife".

"Silence pipsqueak".

"No, I will not be silent"

Henry turned to his sister and mentioned "remember what happened when you antagonized Arthur".

Tally folded her arms but did stop talking so Cora continued "I implore you see sense and get on that boat".

Henry Sr said "no, Regina stay, help your friends, she's trying to bait you".

Regina replied "I didn't come back just to help my friends, I came back to help everyone".

Cora stated "that's not possible. Please do as I say and get on that boat".

Regina said "mother, no".

Cora tried again "see sense Regina and do what I tell you".

Regina said "kids get back".

As she got closer to Cora she warned her "please don't force me hand, I don't want to do this".

"Then don't" Regina begged.

"I'm sorry, be assured I do what I do because I love you" and Cora summoned the fire again. As the fire spiralled around Henry Sr a wall of fire to keep Regina from getting to him and Cora disappeared.

Regina wept and apologized to her father thinking soon he'd be in a worse place. Then the fire stopped and the bridge stretched out, a bright light came from the other side. Henry Sr realized said "It's beautiful, I can go on to a better place now".

Tally said "I don't understand I thought the only way to cross was to finish your unfinished business".

Henry Sr replied "I had many regrets, but my biggest one was letting my wife bully our daughter" He faced Regina as she came closer "for too long I let your mother get in the way of who you really are, now you're free from her. And I couldn't be prouder".

Henry and Tally came up, Henry said "Hi".

Henry Sr asked "who is this"?

Regina said "this is your grandson, I named him Henry, after you".

Henry said "thank you grandpa, for believing in her like I do".

Henry Sr replied "and thank you for looking after her when I couldn't".

"And I'm Tally" said Tally.

Henry Sr said "hello Tally, you're a little bundle of energy aren't you".

Tally said "I'm happy you get to cross over, and you do so knowing you're leaving your daughter in the capable hands of people she cares about and who care about her".

Henry Sr smiled at her then looked back at Regina "I love you"

Regina said "I love you too".

"Never forget who you are".

"I won't, I promise". The three of them watched as Henry Sr crossed the bridge.

Regina and the kids rejoined everyone on main street. Mary-Margaret asked "is your father alright"?

Regina answered "he is better than alright".

Henry added "he's in a better place".

Tally said "when Regina didn't do what Cora said it fulfilled his unfinished business".

Mary-Margaret said "then that means everybody here..."

David finished "can be saved".

Regina said "everybody here has unfinished business, I'm willing to bet for most of them that unfinished business is us".

Hook asked "and if we're not"?

Tally said "we can still try, it doesn't hurt to try".

Mr Gold said "but it is pointless and not worth your time. I want no part in it".

Tally said "you don't have to, but you're not stopping us from trying to help these poor trapped souls".

"The whole point of coming here was to get my son and get out. It's foolish adding this side mission" he walked away

Henry asked "so who's in for Operation Firebird"?

Tally answered "count me in".