A/N: I had a rough time with this chapter-I restarted it almost four times and it's still not what I had in mind for the direction of it, in terms of certain plot elements. It's a little bit longer than chapter one, but not by all that much-5, maybe 5.5pgs.

I took some creative liberties with the mythology too, but it's still more accurate than the show had it so I'm not beating myself for it. Anyway, I'm gonna try for a chapter a week, but no promises on that-I leave for a school break on the 23rd and will be gone until April 16th and I have zero intention of bringing my computer along so...sorry in advance. Anyway, here's chapter two, once against completely unbeta'ed, enjoy.

Leaning against the sturdy wooden fence that surrounded a small vegetable garden, Emma stared at the man before her. She still couldn't believe that he was Killian's older brother, Liam; none of them could. And ever since he'd revealed that fact, questions had been zooming through her brain—Why did the ferryman bring them to Liam instead of Hades like he was supposed to? Was it because Liam would help them find Killian? But why wasn't her pirate here with his brother if you went to family after you were judged? Was it because Killian was somewhere else? If he was, then where? Would they be able to get to him? Were they supposed to use Liam as a bargaining chip? …How was she supposed to explain to this man that she's the reason his brother is dead?

Emma closed her eyes and clutched the ring around her neck even tighter. She opened her eyes with a stuttering sigh and looked around the area Liam had led them to. A few yards away was a fenced-in chicken-yard and a few feet from that was a small stable.

What was this place?

The inside of the cottage was…cozy. Not cramped, but definitely not large enough to fit everyone in their group comfortably. There was one large main room, split into three sections—living, kitchen, and dining; and then a small, short hallway that led to presumably two separate bedrooms. Again, not really cramped, but there was no way five adults and a teenager would be able to discuss what needed discussing in such a small house. Liam had been smart to bring them to this spot behind it.

Emma was drawn back into the conversation when her father began explaining what happened to Killian.

"There was a fight; Hook—Killian had been dueling with…someone from his past and—"

Liam swore under his breath, "Damn, that fool. He found him, after all these years he finally caught up to that man and for what?"

Emma took a small step forward, "What do you mean?"

"The Dark One—"

"You know about that?" said Henry.

Liam turned his eyes to the boy and nodded, "Everyone down here does. I had hoped that he'd give it up, but obviously I was wrong."

Henry shook his head, "He did! He gave up his revenge and—"

"It was my fault," Emma whispered, "He di—he's down here, because of me; because he protected me."

Snow laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Emma no, that's not true—"

"You know it is."

Liam folded his arms and really looked at them all.

"Who are you?"

David introduced everyone; Liam's eyes went dark when realized just how many royals were in their group. After their king, after turning pirate, why on earth would his little brother consort with these people?

"And now you've come here to revive him because—what you feel guilty? You got one of your subjects killed and—"

"No," Emma snarled, "I came down here because I love him, and he promised me a future together!"

"A future? What kind of future is there for a commoner and a princess?"

Emma glared, "A happy one."

Snow moved between them, "Liam I understand your concern, but please believe me when I say that the realm we're from has no such social constrictions. You're free to marry whomever you please with little to no fuss."

Emma blushed and looked down at the ground at her mother's implication that she and Hook would someday tie the knot. It was a pleasant feeling, despite the embarrassment, and Emma couldn't help but notice that there was no part of her that wanted to run away. The same could not be said for David however, whose face was doing its best "save me I'm choking on a walnut" impression.

"It's true, mate," Robin said, "why my fair Regina and I are—"

Regina blushed, "Robin stop it."

He sent her a dazzling smile, which she ignored—unsuccessfully—in favour of addressing the captain.

"Are you going to help us find your brother or not?"

Liam frowned, but nodded.

"If he didn't show up here, then he's either still being judged or was already sent to one of the other islands."

"How many islands are there," David asked.

"Four," Henry and Liam said together.

They paused and looked at each other, but then Liam went on to explain each one. There were the Fields of Asphodel, where they were now; the Mourning Fields, where you went if you wasted your life on unrequited love; there Elysium, reserved only for the truest of greats; and then there was Tartarus, home of damned and wicked. Liam told them that getting to each island wasn't easy and that once you died and were sent to your afterlife you didn't leave it unless Hades and his court were persuaded or whatever punishment you were given was completed. And no one had ever done either.

"If we are to find my brother, we must first get to Hades' court," Liam finished.

"What about the ferryman," Snow asked, "He was still there when I looked."

Liam frowned, unconvinced, "I doubt he's still there, milady; Charon is, supposedly, a rather busy man—"

Robin interjected, "That wasn't the name he gave us."

"Well whatever his name is," Regina said, "it doesn't matter if he's not still there."

David nodded, "True, one of us should go check while we try to figure out a backup plan."

"There is no backup plan," Liam said bluntly, "Charon is the only one with the power to travel on the rivers and he must be summoned."

"No, we can't just wait for him—"

"We must, Princess."

Emma glared at him; Liam looked at David, completely unaffected by her anger.

"Send someone to see if he's still waiting, if not I'll get started on summoning him."

He started walking back toward the front of the house.

"Where are you going, Mr. High-and-Mighty?" Regina called after him, annoyed by his dismissal of them all.

He answered without stopping, "To clue in my mother; we'll meet by the water."

Regina crossed her arms and gave a regal huff, "Who does he think he is, giving me orders?"

Robin placed a hand at her back, began leading her away with Henry on her other side.

"He is a resident of the underworld, my dear."

"Yeah, Mom, he knows the rules better than we do."

"That's no excuse to speak to a queen…"

There voices faded as they got farther away. Snow and David went to follow, but stopped when they realized that Emma hadn't moved. Snow quietly told her husband to go on without them, they'd catch up. Charming kissed her temple and left, and Snow went to her daughter. Emma stared at the ring around her neck and said nothing. Snow waited a beat before speaking and when she did her voice was quiet, soothing.

"Emma...sweetheart—"

"Killian gave this to me."

Snow looked at the ring, looked at Emma and the way her daughter watched her fingers turn the piece of jewelry over and over.

"He gave this to me to keep me save, but…but it was Liam's…"

Snow wrapped her arm around Emma's shoulders.

"I didn't know that."

Emma nodded.

"Killian's mom is here too…"

"I know, honey," Snow rubbed her thumb against her daughter's shoulder. "We'll find him, Emma, don't you worry about that."

"I'm not," but she was still frowning.

They stood in silence for a minute or two, before Snow asked what she was thinking. Emma opened her mouth to answer and closed it just as quickly, before she shook her head and let the ring drop back against her chest.

"We have to go, Mom," she said as she removed herself from her mother's embrace and started toward the beach. Snow sighed and followed after a secound or two; looks like things with her daughter weren't as fixed as their talked in Storybrooke had led her to believe.

Regina and Robin were just walking back up toward the house when Snow rounded the corner. The queen looked a bit stormy, but un-surprised.

"He wasn't there," Snow asked when they were close enough.

Regina turned back to glare into the fog, "Oh no he's still there, but decided to the change the rules."

"Rules?"

Robin nodded, "He's claiming that only two can go."

Snow made an outraged noise, to which Regina snorted.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Maybe we ought to ask Liam about this," Robin suggested.

Liam had just stepped out of the house, "Ask me about what?"

Regina glared daggers, "Why the rules of travel have suddenly been altered."

Emma, David, and Henry rushed over; having heard Regina's almost shout.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"What do you mean altered?"

Regina waved a hand at Liam, "Well?"

But Liam looked just as clueless as the rest of them and suggested that asking the ferryman outright instead of speculating would be best.

"There's nothing to ask," Robin said, "he'd made it very clear that only two of use could go see Hades."

"But that's not fair!" cried Henry, "We all came down here to save Hook, why only two?"

Liam tried to think of something and came up with nada.

"I honestly don't know, lad, but if Charon says only two then—"

"No there has to be a way around this," David argued, "Henry's right, we all came down here, so we're all going to find and bring back Hook."

Liam rolled his eyes and looked to the sky as if begging for patience, "You royals honestly."

"Excuse me?" Regina sneered.

"You don't get a say in which rules you'll follow and which you won't, Your Majesty. You have to follow them all, if you've any hope of persuading the God of the Underworld to release my brother. Which means, only one of you will be going."

Emma didn't like that at all, but…well he was right. Wait a minute—

"Only one? He said two."

"Well obviously, I'm to be the secound person—I suggest you argue amoungst yourselves as to whom the first will be."

Emma stepped forward, "Well sorry to disappoint you, pal, but there's not going to be any argument."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah—because you're looking at her."

A/N: Okay yeah, so that's the secound chapter. Again, I'm not too please with it and I haven't done an outline for this fic so that might be the reason why I had so much trouble with it. Damn screenwriting rules that require an outline for everything messing with my prose style.

Anyway, little mythology note: Charon is the dude who ferries souls into the underworld and Hades does have a panel of judges who decide where you go and there are four sections of the underworld (with a sort of hidden fifth place-The Isle of the Blessed), but Charon doesn't cruse around the rivers and all that stuff about people appealing to Hades for a better place to go is total horse...dung that I made up for plot-stuff.

Still more accurate than Disney and ABC, though so *blows raspberry*

Anyway (again), tell me what y'all think and please don't be shy about any mistakes! I am the type to go back and fix them.