Chapter 16

Hopeless

Belle came into the pawn shop, "I will not be separated from my child, and I need you to assure it".

Gold replied "so you've accepted who I am"?

"I've accepted no one will fight for a child like it's father, and how you got us into the predicament proves that. But I must ask no dark magic".

"Belle, I'm the dark one".

"Back in Camelot Merlin said perhaps someday someone could use the power of darkness for light. Show me you can be that someone and we can save our child and we can turn the darkness into light". "That's the thing with light and dark, it depends on your point of you. Something that seems dark used to protect another really dark".

"And I would never get close enough to darkness to make my actions look dark".

It's easy to say that, but in the heat of the moment anybody would do what was necessary to protect the people you love".

"If you want a future with me then you have to do this my way".

Emma, Snow and Hook went to the graveyard so Emma could try to remove the names from the tombstones. A storm interrupted her and as they got cover it was over. When they came out Snow could tell something was out there. Suddenly a black blur attacked Snow. Emma woke up with a start, Neal asked "bad dream"?

Emma said "I must've fallen asleep".

"Not surprised, you went over six weeks with no sleep and once you can sleep again you get down here and I haven't seen you sleep since you rescued me. I can keep watch on my own".

"After we defeat Hades I'll sleep for a week I promise".

"Make it a month".

Before Emma could reply they saw a glimmer coming from the library as a signal to come in from everybody else. When they went inside they saw Regina drawing some symbols on the elevator.

As Emma hugged Snow Neal asked "so are these runes going to defuse Hades protection spell".

Regina sarcastically remarked "no, I'm doing it for my own health".

Snow said "hopefully this elevator will take us straight to him".

David added "and maybe with the element of surprise on our side it will catch him off guard".

Hook mentioned "we're staking everything on hopefullys and maybes".

Neal said "well if you have a better plan I'm sure we would all love to hear it. If not let Emma and Regina do their job and focus on the plan we have right now"

Since Hook couldn't come up with a different plan Emma and Regina threw their magic at the elevator and when the doors opened they were faced with a brick wall.

Snow said well we'll find another way we always do".

Remembering her dream Emma asked "what if I could take out names off the tombstones Hades made for us, the ones keeping us here".

Regina replied "a spell like that doesn't exist".

"Actually it does, I saw it in a dream but I can remember every detail".

"But your dream could be just that, a dream".

"I know it's a long shot but it is something".

David said "she's right, we'll go back to the apartment. Emma you go to the graveyard and test your dream".

Regina said "I'll go see Zelena, she has history with Hades. Maybe she knows some weakness we can use".

Neal replied "it's worth a try".

Rather than go back to the apartment Hook and Snow decided to go with Emma to the graveyard which worried Emma.

After some reading to try and find a way to defeat Hades Gold gave up. Gold declared "I don't care what Merlin said, turning the darkness into light is a fool's errand, using darkness for light now that might be possible".

Belle replied "this was a mistake".

As she left he followed her out "Belle"

"No" she said "no more justif..."

Before she could finish an arrow flew past her almost hitting Gold. She turned around and saw her ex-finance "Gaston, what are you doing here"?

Gaston answered "he killed me, now it's my turn to kill him".

Gaston shot another arrow but Gold was able to grab it before it could hit him. He could sense the arrow having been doused in the river of lost souls. "So it was Hades who sent you".

"He and I want the same thing, to ensure you stay down here".

Belle cried "stop, now Gaston there must be some other way to resolve this".

"I have spent years down here suffering because of that beast".

As Gaston released another arrow Gold teleported Belle and himself to the docks. Belle asked "so after all the time we spent together you never thought to mention you killed my fiancé"?

Gold said "you're the one who said and I quote "I could never give my heart to someone as conceited as he".

"Which doesn't mean you should kill him".

"It was an arranged marriage, I was doing you a favour".

"Still doesn't sound like a good reason for killing someone" they turned and saw Henry and Tally.

Belle asked "did you two sneak out again"?

Henry said "if we don't defeat Hades we don't go home, and I'm guessing the secret to defeating him isn't waiting at underworlds version of the loft".

Tally said "so who did grandpa Gold kill"?

Belle said "his name was Gaston"?

"Disney's version of him was a master hunter".

"His reputation as a master hunter was widely known, I was never actually in love with him but..." Belle turned to Gold "you shouldn't have killed him".

"And your compassion is what Hades is counting on." Gold held up the arrow Gaston shot at him "this arrow has been forged in the river of souls. The same river which flows through the whole underworld, one drop and I would be trapped in the water forever. He sent Gaston for the task because he knows you won't let me kill him; so let's prove him wrong. Let me use just a little bit of dark magic to solve our Gaston problem".

Belle shook her head "no, there has to be a better way to fix this".

Tally asked "what about Operation Firebird"?

"What's Operation Firebird"?

Henry said "helping souls finish their unfinished business".

"This is perfect, Hook said when his brother moved on it weakened Hades so maybe helping souls move on is how we defeat Hades".

Emma, Hook and Snow were at the graveyard and stood in front of the tombstones. Emma said "this worked in my dream and I hope it works now". As Emma started the spell she'd tried in her dream a storm started brewing just like in her dream. The actions that followed matched her dream, when the storm passed as quickly as it came Emma told them what else happened in her dream. "There was a storm in my dream too that lasted less than a minute. Also in my dream the storm brought something, all I saw was a black blur".

Hook asked "what do you think it was"? They heard a loud roar "I'm guessing something that can roar like that"

Snow asked "Then what do we do".

Emma cried out "run".

After they ran into Regina's vault and Emma confessed how whatever was out there killed Snow.

Belle, Gold, Henry and Tally went to the animal shelter where Gaston worked. Henry said "it's ironic, a master hunter down here is taking care of animals, I'm guessing some of them are animals he himself killed".

Belle was looking through some papers "can you help me look for a clue as to what his unfinished business is".

Gold replied "no need I know what it is, killing me".

"I refuse to believe that".

Tally commented "although it would make sense. But sometimes a person's unfinished business isn't as black and white as you think".

Gold said "he was a master hunter, I was viewed as a beast and I killed him. I think his unfinished business is clear to see".

Belle moved onto a locker which was locked, she looked at Gold "could you open this"?

"I could but are sure you want me to. After all wouldn't using magic to break into a man's locker qualify as dark magic"?

"Oh so now you listen to me".

Henry said "too bad you don't know anyone who's had lock-picking lessons from their mother who was a former thief".

Belle realised what he was saying "think you or Tally could open the locker.

They all suddenly heard the locker open and Tally was right by it "can and already have" she said.

Belle immediately started rummaging through his locker and quickly found a book. "It's me, his unfinished business is me".

Tally asked "how can you know that from a book"?

Belle replied "it's Her Handsome Hero about a man named Gideon who does the good and honourable thing rather than what's easy. It was the first story my mother and I ever read together and my favourite. Gaston promised to read it shortly before I went to live at the Dark Castle, and he still has it".

Henry asked "so what do you want to do"?

Belle said "you should all leave, when Gaston comes back here I can talk to him". Gold doubted she could talk him out of trying to kill him but left with his Grandchildren anyway.

Hook, Emma and Snow were still in Regina's vault when they heard footsteps coming down. They all prepared for a fight but it was only Regina and Neal. Regina asked "what are you doing down here"? When no one answered she asked "what happened with taking our names off the headstones".

Hook told them "Emma was about to, but there was a storm".

Neal said "I haven't seen any sign of a storm".

Hook replied "well that's the strange part, it passed as quickly as it came".

Regina asked "if it passed why did you come in"?

Emma said "there was a storm in my dream too that lasted only a few seconds. My dream and what happened was too similar for my liking".

Neal asked "why, what else happened in your dream"?

Emma glanced over at Snow so Snow answered for her "a monster kills me".

Regina asked "but it was a dream, are we sure that the dream wasn't reflecting Emma's issues".

Emma asked "what issues, I'm fine".

Neal said "well you have seemed a little on edge since you rescued me".

Emma said "well, I guess I do feel as if I've failed everyone".

Neal asked "you came here to save me, how is that failing anyone"?

Emma said "but you're still stuck here, and now so are the rest of us. I should have done this alone. Now I'm so afraid someone will die, and it will be my fault".

Snow reminded her "you didn't make us come with you, we chose to come. We knew it wouldn't be easy, these things never are, but some things are worth it, love is worth it". Snow realised hiding was not fixing their problem. "Now let's go with what we know works and face that beast together".

Belle found Gold and the children and told them after a visit from Hades she set a test for Gaston. She set up a dummy in the back of the shop with its back turned to see if Gaston would really kill him and Gaston would. It turned out Gaston didn't have the book because he liked it, it was part of his punishment, to remind him why he died. And during his visit Hades had offered her a deal" Gold asked "what kind of deal"?

Belle said "it doesn't matter, I said no".

Tally mentioned "if someone like Hades wants to make a deal it must come with strings".

Gold said "exactly, I trade with deals, you must tell me what it was. There may have been conditions to the refusal of the deal too hidden to the unaware".

Belle asked "first promise me you won't do anything foolish"?

"You can trust me Belle". Tally thought 'now why does that not sound comforting'?

"Hades said if I let you and Gaston fight and one of you pushes the other into the river of lost souls he'll tear up the contract on our baby".

Gold asked "and you turned him down"?

Belle replied "like I said, I would never resort to darkness".

"What Merlin said about a man who can control the dark for good, I hope someday I can be that man. But in the present I need to go with what I know works". And with a wave of his hand he disappeared.

Belle said "I shouldn't have told him".

Henry said "well it was sort of predictable what he would do".

Tally then realised something and was confused "it was predictable".

Henry replied "that's why I just said it".

Tally explained "it's predictable because we know what motivation he has but Hades motivation is unclear. He sends Gaston after Grandpa Gold because supposedly he knows Belle won't let him hurt Gaston, clear motivation. Except now he's offers Belle a deal to let Gaston and Grandpa Gold fight, why, what does he gain from this"?

Belle replied "right now I'm more concerned with stopping Rumple".

They found Gold having restrained Gaston with his magic at the docks. He was about to throw Gaston in the river when Belle ran up to him, "Rumple stop".

Gold said "Belle leave, then Hades will rip up the contract and our baby will be ours".

Belle stepped in front of him "I know you would do anything for your child. I can see who you truly are, and that's why I love you". She kissed him and as she did she got hold of his dagger. "But I also know who I truly am and I can't let you do this".

Henry and Tally watched the scene Henry said "well this will stop Grandpa killing Gaston".

Tally asked "but what's going to stop Gaston shooting Grandpa"?

Just then they saw Gaston reach for his bow and arrow. They ran up to him but Belle pushed him into the river of lost souls. Green glimmers surrounded him and then he was gone.

Belle just stared at the water until Gold placed a hand on her shoulder sympathetically. Belle said "you were right".

Gold said "I'm so sorry Belle, but you saved me, and more importantly you saved our child".

"Not quite" they turned around and saw Hades.

"What"? asked Belle.

Hades said "your baby is still mine".

"But Gaston went in the water".

"I said if Rumplstiltskin or Gaston threw the other into river of lost souls but they didn't, you pushed Gaston in so no deal".

"Why are you doing this"?

Hades knelt down as a flower wilted "for this". He picked the flower and said "a bloom with my favourite scent, hopelessness.

Tally ran at him as fast as she could, she thought if she could push him in the river of lost souls all his evil would be undone. As she was about to he moved aside and Tally almost fell in. Gold used his magic to pull her back and by him before she fell in.

Hades asked "were you trying to kill me, foolish girl".

Gold held Tally closely and said "leave her alone".

Hades looked at the flower and said "maybe I should after all I got what I wanted. But all little girls have to learn their lesson".

He left and Tally felt a chill go through her and she knew what that meant. Henry came over and asked "Tally are you alright"?

Tally replied "actually I think Hades just killed me".