On the Way To the Underworld
CS Genre: Canon Divergence (5x12—implied CS, with Gremma brotp)
Emma climbed into the weird boat the wraith had brought when Gold opened the portal to the Underworld. (Seriously, what even was her life? She and her whole family were on their way to hell so that she could split her heart in half and bring her true love back to life.)
To say it had been a rough day would be the world's biggest understatement. She shuddered, barely holding the wracking sobs at bay. Killian was dead. He was dead, and she's the one who had done it. There was nothing else she could have done, but still, she'd need therapy for the next four decades to get past the feeling of running her true love through with a sword.
As Emma settled into her seat and felt the gentle rocking of the boat (shouldn't a boat headed to hell be more…tempestuous?), gradually she felt the exhaustion overcome her.
"Sleep, honey," Mary Margaret said, putting a motherly arm around her and stroking her hair. "While we have a few minutes of peace, sleep."
She didn't want to, wanted to spend their downtime planning and strategizing, but as her eyelids became heavier and heavier, she realized she had no choice in the matter….
Emma opened her eyes and found herself in a forest, a babbling creek in front of her, and a warm, gentle breeze caressed her face. The gentle hum of wildlife around her, the singing of the birds, all of it combined to form an idyllic setting.
What the actual hell?
"Emma, it's been a long time."
Emma turned abruptly, her eyes going wide. She'd recognize that Irish lilt anywhere.
"Graham?" she asked, seeing the man himself in his jeans, his bomber jacket, his sheriff's badge prominently displayed on his chest. "What? How? Is this a dream?"
He stepped forward and cupped her face in his hand, caressed it gently and smiled. "This is no dream, Emma, although you might say you're in an altered state of reality."
"Are you in the Underworld?" Emma asked. "Have we arrived?"
He shook his head gently and dropped his hand. "No on both counts. You and your family continue sailing. It will be a few minutes yet before you reach your destination. And as for me?" He looked around, and Emma saw a deer step up to the stream and begin drinking, "I've moved on."
"Moved…on?" Emma asked. "On to where?"
He led her to a fallen log and gestured for her to sit. When she'd done so, he spoke again. "It's rather difficult to answer that question. Suffice it to say, I have no remaining unfinished business and so I'm at peace."
They were silent for a moment, and then Emma turned back toward him, feeling the guilt that plagued her every time she thought of the former sheriff of Storybrooke. "Graham," she said finally, "I…I didn't get a chance to say this to you before…I mean it all happened so fast. I just…I wanted you to know that I'm sorry."
He shot her a startled look. "Whatever for, Emma?"
"For this," she said, "for getting you killed. "If I'd just left well enough alone, not butted into your whole weird deal with Regina, maybe you'd still be alive."
Graham turned toward her, looking intently into her eyes. "Is that what you think, Emma? That you harmed me? That you caused me pain?" He shook his head. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. Emma, you saved me. You gave me courage to break free and you helped me remember who I truly was and who I wanted to be. I wouldn't trade that for anything."
"Really?" Emma asked. "That's really how you think of our friendship?"
He smiled. "Of course! And look around you. I've reached paradise, a land where there's no fear, no loneliness, no pain, no villains. Just joy and peace and freedom as far as the eye can see. Don't trouble yourself on my account. I'm happier than I've ever been."
Emma felt the tears well up, glad to have an opportunity to cry for a happy reason for a change.
"I know where you're headed, Emma," Graham said, looking suddenly grave. "You wish to save your love from Hades' clutches."
Emma felt the panic well up again thinking of what Killian might be enduring. "I have to Graham! It's my fault he's dead, and then Gold took away his self-sacrifice. I can't just leave him there. I can't!"
"Sh," Graham said, smiling gently once again. "I'm not asking you to, Emma. It's quite the noble thing you're doing and I wish you the greatest success."
"But?" Emma asked, seeing the reservation in his face.
"The Underworld is a dangerous place," Graham said. "Hades has all sorts of horrors prepared for the people in his domain, and he won't give up one of his souls easily."
"Never expected it to be easy," Emma said, "but he's my True Love. If there's anything I can do to save him, anything, I have to do it."
"And I would never suggest otherwise," Graham said. "I've no doubt Hades has met his match in you. All I ask is that you be careful. I'd love to see you here again one day, but I'd rather it not be anytime soon."
"That I can promise you."
Emma woke abruptly and sat up in the boat, disoriented in the sudden reddish light.
"You okay, mom?" Henry asked, looking over her carefully.
"Yeah," Emma said, running a hand through her hair. "I have a feeling that we are all going to be just fine. Now let's go rescue a pirate!"
Notes:
-This story was originally written and posted on Tumblr earlier this week as a birthday present for TutorGirlML.
-I'm not exactly a huge fan of Neal, so, predictably, the scene at the very beginning of 5b where Emma has a dream or whatever of Neal where he tells her not to go to the Underworld just annoyed me. I decided if Emma was going to meet with any of her previous romantic interests on the way to rescue Killian, Graham was the best option.
-Up next: I saw a young couple at church the other day with their newborn baby. The dad was adorable with her. He held her the entire time and couldn't stop looking down at her. Of course, my first thought (well second after "Aww! That is pretty much the most adorable thing ever!") was "How can I turn this into a CS fic?" So next week, I think I'll write a future fic about Killian being absolutely besotted with his and Emma's newborn baby.