With eyes forward, shoulders back, spine straight, and chin held high, Fiona follows her deceptively unarmed captors up from the bowels of the underworld while trying to maintain an air of dignity despite heavy iron shackles that not only curtail her movements but her use of magic as well. While she tries to collect her thoughts, tries to discern where she's being led to and what will happen next, her fellow prisoner, Bellatrix Lestrange, fidgets nervously at her side; buzzing and dancing around like a deranged moth and Fiona finds that she would give almost anything for a fly swatter.

The gendarme of the underworld appear to be speechless beings. Fiona doesn't know if it's by choice, or by mandate, but the intimidation of their unrelenting silence is rivaled only by their physical appearance. The pair of them resemble bare-chested steroid-abusing medieval executioners; complete with bulging muscles, chain mail, codpieces and black hoods that hide their faces from view. She finds it difficult to believe that Lord Death has a penchant for half-naked muscle. Perhaps his wife oversees the heavy artillery, or at the very least, dresses them.

For at least the eighth time, Bella asks to know where they are being taken, and for the eighth time, she receives no reply in all. And, for what must be the 157th time Fiona wonders if her alliance with this compulsively garrulous lunatic is going to be worth the headache.

Forced into the elegant but antiquated single cage style elevator along with their musclebound escorts, Fiona tries to ignore the slow, labored rise to what passes for civilization in the underworld. Above ground at the end of their ascent, once they step free of the confines of the elevator, they are forcibly transported. When they arrive at the other end of the line, they find themselves in the underworld's equivalent of the mayor's office standing before none other than the Queen of Hearts.

Before either of them has time to process, let alone speak, Cora dismisses their escorts with nothing more than the slight tilt of her head and a coolly delivered, "That will be all, gentlemen."

Bellatrix watches the men depart as the door magically swings shut behind them. One glance into Cora's cold unfeeling eyes, and to Bella's ears, the soft, delicate click of the deadbolt sliding home is the sound of eternity approaching; like the distant yet thunderous hoofbeats of the hard-riding horsemen of the apocalypse. Panic rises like a venomous tide, but before she has time to go into one of her inane repetitive rants, Cora simply gestures to her desk and the three ancient repression vessels found there that are used to incarcerate rogue dementors.

She steps out from behind her desk and lightly perches against the front left corner. Leaning forward slightly as if she's inviting conversation between old friends while her hard, unforgiving eyes and the stern set of her mouth tell a very different story.

In a voice of deadly calm, she declares, "I'm only going to ask this question once. Which one of you shortsighted imbeciles decided it would be a good idea to endanger the lives of my grandchildren – and by extension, the lives of my daughters."

When the two females stare at each other and shrug as if the accusation is wholly unexpected, the once and former queen of Wonderland shakes her head. "Playing dumb isn't going to help ladies, because you see…" She gives Fiona the lion's share of her attention and points once again to the dementor traps on her desk. "You were in charge when those vile things were allowed to enter Storybrooke. So, no matter whose idea it was, no matter whose authority they were acting on, you are ultimately responsible, and you will be held accountable. All I really need to know is who shares the blame."

Willing to sacrifice anyone ahead of herself, Fiona quickly spins a tale equally constructed of half-truths and blatant lies "You really must pardon me, Your Majesty. I was still familiarizing myself with the bylaws of this place when I allowed them passage. It's really was unintentional. I had never encountered them before, I had no way of knowing the damage they would cause, I was only told by this madwoman that they could provide me with a spell that might enable me to leave this place. I'm ashamed to admit that I so easily allowed myself to be misled but surely you can understand the desire for another chance at corporeal life."

Bella screeches with murderous intent and because she is quite literally shackled and currently possesses no access to magic, she physically hurls herself at Fiona willing to tear her apart with her own teeth if necessary. "She lies!"

Cora resists the urge to roll her eyes and returns to the seat behind her desk.

Sitting Indian-style on the bright blue rug on the floor of the abbey nursery, Eliana looks up from the memory game spread out between herself and her cousin. Stretched out on her belly with her chin propped in the heel of one hand Norah turns a small square card over to reveal the image of a baby elephant and then pauses momentarily as she makes her second choice; her hand hovering, skimming the air between two cards that are face down.

Eliana complains, "I'm bored."

Norah's second card is turned over to reveal an adult elephant and she groans in mild displeasure as she flips5 both cards face down and returns them to their former positions on the floor. "Right animal, wrong size!"

"You can have it."

"Uh-uh, that's not the rules, Eliana. We're supposed to find the ones that match es-actly."

"Stupid rules. Let's make our own."

"No. You're just mad because I got more matches than you, but you always win when we play the hippo game, or Connect Four, or even Candyland."

"I wanna go home. I'm bored."

"I know. I wanna go outside. Outside is more fun, but we're supposed to stay here with the nice fairy ladies until my mom and dad, and yours too, come to take us home."

"Let's just use magic, and go where we want."

"No! I'm not getting in trouble because of you, Eliana."

"Big baby!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Mama said stay here. They have to take the ugly monsters back where they belong."

"Who cares what Auntie Gina says! I wanna go home, now!"

"Me – that's who cares. If I get in trouble today, I can't go next time Daddy goes fishing."

Eliana wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Yuck, who wants to catch a smelly old fish?"

"Hey, fishing with my dad is fun! He makes funny faces when he catches a big one and he's trying to get it out of the water, and he lets me throw the baby ones back. We don't eat the babies."

Eliana's mouth falls open. "You eat the fish you catch?"

Norah squints, not understanding her lack of comprehension. "Course we do. What else are you supposed to do with big fish?"

Eliana shakes her head vehemently, causing her ponytail to swish erratically. "Na uh, you're lying!"

"I am not! Haven't you ever had fish for dinner?"

"Sure, I did, but that fish comes from the grocery store!"

Norah covers her face with her hand and shakes her head with comical exasperation. "Eli-annna, quit being a doofus! Where do you think the fish in the grocery store comes from? All the fishies live in the water. They can't breathe without it. Somebody has to catch them, and clean them so they're ready to cook, and then take them to the grocery store so that all the people who don't know how to catch fish can buy them!"

"Na uh!"

"Na huh!"

"Who says!"

"Daddy!"

"I think he's telling you stories!"

"Is not!" Norah pushes herself up off the floor and stomps her foot. "You take that back!"

Eliana shakes her head. "Is too!"

"This is stupid, and you're a doofus. At least my dad knows how to fish!"

"My dad doesn't have to fish. He has money to buy stuff with!"

Norah scowls. "Hey, my dad has money!"

"Uh-uh, Daddy says, Auntie Gina has all the money in your house. That's probably why your dad is always making your toys himself instead of buying them."

More confused than stung, Norah tilts her head to one side, "I like the toys Daddy makes for me. Sometimes, it takes him a really long time, but he does it anyway. He made my baby cradle that I used to sleep in, and my rocking horse is really old. Daddy made him for Roro when he was real little, but I get to ride him now. He made me this flute too." She extracts a hand carved wooden flute from the right-hand pocket of her denim jacket. "It plays really pretty music. I'm learning to play a song with it."

"That's easy stuff. You don't have any good toys, like nice baby dolls with pretty clothes."

"I do too! I have Isabella!"

"That does not count! Isabella is really, really old; like 300 gazillion years. She used to be your mom's doll!"

Norah shrugs. "First, Mama is not 300 gazillion years old. Not even Granny is that old, and second, so what if Isabella is old! She's still a good doll. I like her even if you don't. So there!"

"You don't even have a doll house for her!"

"She doesn't need her own house. She lives with me. My house is big enough for both of us."

"Norah, your house is big enough for half the people in Storybrooke."

Norah squints thoughtfully. "It is pretty big, but I don't think it's that big, El. There's a lot of people here."

"Lucky for you, I bet most of them don't want to live in a ginormous old apple barn."

Norah shrugs. "What is wrong with that? It's big enough for our whole family; even Papa lives there, and Daddy fixed it really pretty. He says it's a barn fit for a queen."

Eliana rolls her eyes. "Mummy says it doesn't matter how much fancy woodwork and furniture you put in there… It's still just a barn. No matter how nice it is, you live in a barn. You do know that's not normal, right?"

"So, what! You're not normal either."

"I am too!"

"Eliana, your dad lives underground most of the time! It's okay. We can both be weird. We're allowed."

"You're weirder than me. Your dad can't even do magic."

Norah offers a smirk and a shrug "I know. Not like us anyway. But I think he has his own kind of magic. Daddy magic. He turned a giant dusty old barn into a really pretty house. Mama says it had big holes in the roof before he fixed it up for us, and he cut a big branch out of a tree that fell down in the woods and turned it into my flute. I can't do that, not even with my magic."

"And, you can really make music with it?"

Norah nods self-consciously. "Not as good as Daddy can. He plays the whole song without making any mistakes. But, I'm getting better. The first time I tried, no sound came out at all."

Eliana stands up, suddenly feeling more curious than competitive. "Show me how it works."

Norah nods and inhales deeply. "See, you just put your mouth around this end and blow air into it. The hardest part is knowing when to put your fingers over which holes to make different kinds of sounds come out."

Regina taps lightly on the door to the inner office and pokes her head in. "It's me."

Cora offers her a radiant smile. "Regina, darling, come in, come in. Hades said to expect you."

Stepping in and quietly latching the door behind herself, Regina looks around the room that used to be a perfect match for her Storybrooke office. "You've re-decorated, Mother." She says in response to red walls that are offset by a roomful of luxurious yet strikingly asymmetrical black and white furnishings and accent pieces.

"Yes, well, this particular office isn't yours yet. Once it is, you can decorate it to your liking." Cora peers over her daughter's shoulder expectantly. "Where's your sister?"

"She'll be along shortly. She and Hades are refereeing. The girls were arguing over a toy."

"The girls?"

"Eliana and Norah."

Cora nods. "Are they with your father?"

"No. Daddy has other plans today. They're staying at the abbey with the nuns. They had a disagreement over a toy and just as we were headed this way, Eliana popped in to fetch her parents."

"I see…"

Before Cora can say anything more, the door opens and Zelena breezes in without knocking, her attention immediately fixed on her sister. "Did you have to confiscate the whistle."

Regina sighs deeply and forces herself not to scowl. "It's a flute, not a whistle, and yes, I did."

"Why?"

"House rule. If our children squabble over petty things like toys, Robin and I do not intercede. We expect them to settle the disagreement themselves. If they force us to settle the dispute, we take the item, whatever it may be, away from them."

"What good does that do. Then they're each unhappy."

"Yes, but the blues are usually short-lived, and It cuts down on the number of disagreements Robin and I have to arbitrate. It forces them to learn how to compromise and solve their own problems."

"Regina, neither one of our girls is five years old yet! And that may be your house rule, but my daughter doesn't live in your house."

"It's never too early to start learning, and you may change your mind after the next is born. Eliana will have someone to squabble with in her own house. It does become tiresome rather quickly. Plus, Eliana may not live with me, but she spends enough time in my house to know what the rules are."

Zelena opens her mouth only to snap it shut again. "Never mind, I can see you aren't going to budge."

"No, I'm not. Once a rule is established, it must be upheld, otherwise, the only thing the children learn is that they don't have to follow the rule. When we get home, Norah can have her flute back and they can try again. Right now, we have more important things to be concerned with."

"Right then, where is Fiona?"

"Hello, Zelena." Cora smiles tersely, displeased by her less than proper etiquette.

"Hello, Mother." She offers quickly before repeating, "Where is Fiona?"

"I left both she and her cohort standing just this side of Tartarus."

"Why, I thought you were going to collect her for us?"

"Oh, I did. I summoned both she and, that disturbing woman, Bellatrix, but they engaged in a nasty squabble of their own and I saw no need to break it up. I banished them from my office before they could break anything valuable. If one of them should do away with the other, you'll have one less to worry about."

Zelena rolls her eyes and addresses her sister again. "Parenting 101? Like mother like daughter?"

Refusing to be bothered, Regina shrugs. "Hey, I didn't leave Norah and Eliana standing on a narrow precipice above a roiling pit of eternal flames."

"Girls!" Cora interrupts the disagreement between her daughters. "Do I have to be here for this? The two of you can settle this later, but right now there is a larger issue at hand. Namely, the two prisoners down at Tartarus."

Irritated, Regina starts to protest, thinks better of it, and surrenders. "Yes, of course. Let's get this over with."

Cora retrieves and drops the repression traps that Hades entrusted into her care into a large shoulder bag before escorting them both out into the hallway with nothing more than an expectant hand gesture.

Regina pauses to hand her mother two small crystalline vials filled with a murky powder blue viscous substance.

As she examines the vials, holding them up to the light, Cora asks, "You sure this is going to work?"

Regina nods. "We tested it."

Zelena groans at the memory of the experiment. "Trust me, it will work."

"Shouldn't your sister be the one groaning? Wouldn't she had been the guinea pig for such a test?"

Regina answers. "Things haven't exactly gone according to plan lately, Mother. That's why we're here."

"Meaning there's more to this story than I've been told." Cora doesn't wait for an answer, she simply pockets the vials and magically locks her office before transporting the three of them to the underworld's least desirable location.

Stepping into the cave that holds the gateway for Tartarus, the trio of women stop short, and then approach slowly, when they find Fiona laughing, standing at the edge of the abyss and peering down into the flames. Cautiously, they join her. At the edge, they use their arms to shield their faces from the heat emulating her posture and peering over the side to find Bellatrix Lestrange below, screaming to be rescued and standing on a hazardously narrow outcropping of rock; her back pressed hard against the craggy wall as she tries to keep her long dark tattered skirt out of the flames that dance perilously close.

Putting an immediate end to Fiona's fun Cora waves a hand and relocates Bella to marginally safer ground.

Fiona is on the verge protesting, Bella a breath away from saying thank you, when Cora uses the moment to her advantage and retrieves the vials from a jacket pocket and tosses both, each one shattering at the feet of a prisoner. Stunned, they both glare in suspicion, but neither moves quickly enough to evade the cloudy blue vapor that rises from the sludge at their feet and invades their bodies courtesy of their mouths and nasal passages.

Fiona squints, searching Cora's impassive expression for a clue. "What have you done?" she asks calmly at first; her gaze shifting to Zelena and Regina. "What has she done to us?" she questions a second time as Bella sinks to her knees and, without warning, begins to howl as if she's being subjected to some unspeakable unseen torture.

The three women offer her different versions of the same icy smile.

"What have you done to me?" Fiona demands in loud hostility; no longer concerned about Bella as her own condition becomes dire. Feeling as though she might lose consciousness at any second, she walks on trembling legs, taking a few halting steps away from the edge of the pit and the flaming damnation below. The walls of the cave begin to spin, slowly at first, but then picking up speed with each rotation. Her ears ring loudly enough to distort Zelena's voice.

"Welcome to divine motherhood." The redheaded witch wrinkles her nose as she smirks triumphantly. "Or at least part of it anyway. All the miserable symptoms, without any of the celestial joy."

Fiona's stares, temporarily stumped, beyond the range of any well-used confundus charm.

Still on her knees, Bella scurries to a nearby wall. Slumped and panting, she pounds one fist futilely against the rock before she curls into a fetal position and begins to writhe and moan in unbearable agony.

When Robin, Harry, Ron, and Hades suddenly appear side by side, she shoots each of them a pleading look. Knowing that mercy isn't likely to come courtesy of Lord Death, Potter, or the Weasley fellow, she fixates on Robin. "Sir, please help, if you can. Make them see reason. This is too much. This atrocity is not to be born. I know not how they've done it, but they've done it just the same. They've used magic to violate us. They have impregnated us."

Robin raises a doubtful eyebrow as he studies his wife, her sister, and their mother before returning his gaze to the agonized wild-haired creature on the dirty floor of the cave. "Apologies mi'lady, but I think you're a tad bit confused about exactly how that happens."

From somewhere inside her own stupor, Fiona mutters thickly; almost incoherently. "The three witches…"

Cora throws back her head, laughing bitterly as she steps toward the pit. "I assure you, we've done no such thing, nor would we if we could. My daughters tell me it is simply a curse engineered to grant you knowledge - knowledge so that you might come to understand what it is like to carry a child such as the one we believe you intended to steal. That is what you do, isn't it, Fiona? However, I'm afraid the thief cannot help either of you. I promise you, your agony will not cease until the truth is known and your debt is paid. And for the record, neither Lady Macbeth, nor the three witches associated with her Shakespearian tale have anything on us. So, Bella, my dear, how long you suffer this particular atrocity is entirely up to you. You can end it all now if you choose. Your dementors…" Cora pauses to remove the three repression vessels from her shoulder bag. "They cannot help you anymore."

As Cora hurls the ornate traps into the pit, every other member of her party screams in abject horror. "No! Don't!"

Confused by their objections, she squints and then glares at Harry when he has the audacity to step forth; wand at the ready, and the words "Foolish woman!" escape his lips.

"Bloody hell!" A wide-eyed Ron exclaims as one dementor and its containment box are incinerated and the only thing to survive is the tormented specter's hellish earsplitting cries.

As for the other two, they were either fortuitously released at the moment they were thrown into the fiery pit or their traps landed, not directly in flames, but on one or more of the perilous rocky outcroppings where they rested fleetingly until the atomic heat melted the lock mechanisms providing them with narrow escapes just before the boxes themselves were incinerated.

With all her regal composure completely undone, Cora screams in agonizing terror as the two surviving ghastly abominations rise from the depths of Tartarus; their black death cloaks aflame as they zero in on her, pinning her against a wall and making her their target while the ground beneath their feet trembles and splits horrendously, widening the chasm of Tartarus. Unknowingly, Cora tries in vain to use her magic against her attackers, who only feed off of her darkness becoming stronger and more vicious in their pursuit of her.

The ground continues to rumble. Regina staggers backward, taking Robin down with her when he reaches out trying to break her fall. Shocked, but not seriously injured, they scramble to their feet as quickly as possible while chaos explodes all around them.

Also knocked momentarily off their feet; It takes a multitude of long, agonizing, seconds before Ron and Harry are heard shouting "Expecto patromun," and brightly glimmering apparitions of an impish weasel and a proud noble stag erupt from the ends of their wands and drive the dementors back a fraction of an inch from a horrified Cora's listless body.

As the Queen of Hearts cries out in anguish, Bella laughs maniacally.

Zelena screams, "Mother!" as Hades scrambles to his wife's side; ready to act as her shield and blast the monstrosities into oblivion.

Regina raises her own the wand and warns just in time, "No Hades! God or not, dark power will only make things worse!" She loudly calls forth her newly acquired feline patronus lending aid to the fight.

Dazed by pain, nearly catatonic with terror, Cora stares, unresponsive as the horrifying images of all her worst transgressions invade her mind in rapid-fire succession before they are crowded out by the unexpected manifestations of what she can only assume must be magical projections of spirit animals.

Regina quickly steps to her mother's side and then glides into the narrow space between her and her ghastly assailants. Hitting them with the full force of her roaring lioness and driving them backward with the combined help of Harry and Ron, she screams, "Back off! Get away from my mother you wretched fiends!"

Despite their Herculean efforts, the wizard and witch trio gain precious little ground and the dementors remain well past the point when they should have no longer been a threat.

Ron yells above the thunderous din of battle, "Is it just me or are they stronger than usual?"

Henry shakes his head. "It's not just you, mate."

Regina shouts trying to be heard above the eerie death howls of their livid rivals. "It's this place; the underworld. "They're feeding off all of the pain and suffering held captive here! I'm guessing that's why they were only allowed passage through here on their way to other realms. They aren't meant to reside here; not even briefly."

Ron bellows, "Then what do we do? We don't have any more repression vessels." He flicks his gaze to Regina and then Harry for an instant before returning it to the dementors. "I'm maxed out. If you guys are holding back, now would be a really good time to step it up if the plan is to drive these things down into the flames."

Zelena screams, "No, don't! New plan. We need to talk to them!"

Regina shakes her head vehemently. "Sorry Sis, can't do that. I can't hold them in stasis long enough for you to chat. I got more, but I can't dig that deep. Not now. I'm afraid if I do that, the repercussions could be deadly." For Harry and Ron's benefit she explains, "Using this much power, it takes its toll. It drains us, and I'm an adult. I'm afraid the little one wouldn't survive if I attempt that kind of depletion. He's already had a stressful day."

Harry nods. "I'm not sure I can hit them with that much more either. I do, and with the resulting shockwave, the walls of this cave are going to tumble in and crush us to death… Well, those of us that are alive." He clarifies, shaking his head at the irony of the statement.

Thinking hard, mentally scrambling for an acceptable way out, Regina turns her gaze to meet Robin's eyes seeking the clarity she always finds in their blue depths.

In awe of her strength, and loving her for it, Robin stares right back. Shaking his head, he shrugs. "I don't think this one's our call, Madame Mayor. We don't rule this particular realm."

Regina smiles as the much-needed penny drops. Both she and her husband turn expectant gazes to the man in charge. "Hades, there is a way."

He nods, needing no further prompting. "I know what to do."

He smiles reassuringly at his wife the instant before he closes his eyes. He turns his focus inward and chooses to let go. After an immeasurable number of centuries holding the underworld prisoner in his deathly grip, Hades, God of the underworld, who fell from Olympus, chooses to let go and rise.

Magnificent blue flames ignite and leap gloriously from the top of his head where they burn brighter than his wife ever seen before. They burn for what seems an interminable moment before slowly, gradually extinguishing.

Outside the cave, jagged lightning flashes in the red sky. Ominous thunder rolls; releasing one last dark cacophony of sound and fury before the heavy clouds break; letting in the light. As the world around them changes and peace moves in like a gentle summer breeze, Zelena steps toward the mouth of the cave watching in utter disbelief as the dark world her husband created disappears from existence. As she watches, every decaying thing in sight is gradually restored and resurrected. The underworld's resemblance to Storybrooke fades away like a wisp of smoke as a resounding shockwave of the purest, truest love, in proportions that only a deity can achieve, rush out around them, enveloping everything in its path.

After long strangely serene moments, when it's over, when the transformation is finally complete, the dementors find themselves without adequate despair to draw strength from. The combined powers of Harry, Ron, and Regina are easily more than three times what is needed to drive them down; forcing them into the inferno of Tartarus, where they cease to exist, fading into nothing more than one long reverberating death howl and leave the occupants of the cave crouching and shielding their ears.

When they all think it's safe, they breathe a collective premature sigh of relief in the instant before they realize that there was one serious flaw in the plan. The moment that Hades chose to relinquish his magical stranglehold on the underworld, Fiona and Bellatrix were instantly released from their restraints.

While Fiona makes use of her newfound freedom by staggering to her feet and swallowing hard against rising bile, Bella rushes Zelena; seizing her by the throat and backing her up against a wall.

Having been too beleaguered by false pregnancy symptoms, she'd been unable to mentally unravel, much less follow, the shouted bits of conversation moments earlier as they battled the dementors. Expecting to find her most coveted desire in the redhead's belly, Bella magically conjures a freshly sharpened hunting knife with little more than a thought and attempts to press it threateningly against Zelena's abdomen.

Thoroughly perplexed, she frowns when she finds no resistance on the other side of Zelena's loose-fitting cloak. Releasing her hold on Zelena's slender throat, she tosses the cloak aside, ripping it from the witch's shoulders to stare in utter disbelief at the flat, decidedly not-pregnant abdomen she finds waiting for her there.

"Where is it? Where's the bloody baby? What kind of magic is this, you evil…." Before she can finish, she's flying through the air, bouncing off a cave wall, and very nearly rendered unconscious, courtesy of Zelena's power.

"Let's clear up a few things, shall we? First, I'm wicked. Not evil, you moronic winch! And second, you just messed with the wrong witch!" Zelena uses magic to haul her up off the floor by her throat and spin her around, backing her up until she's dangling precariously over the blazing pit. "You so much as look at my kids, if you even mention my children's names, I will come down here every day for the rest of eternity just to watch you burn in those flames, only to revive you so we can do it all over again the next day; got it!

Choking behind her death grip, Bella sputters trying to speak, clawing at the witch's hand, begging for air as she tries in vain to draw her knees up to her chest in an effort to protect her feet from flames that are entirely too close for comfort. When she's forced to accept that her efforts are futile, she surrenders and nods. Mercifully relieved when Zelena turns and hurls her into the same expanse of wall all over again.

Hades sneers as he approaches and kneels before her. Growling, he demands, "How did you do it? You're dead. You were stuck here. Who helped you commandeer the dementors from Azkaban? You couldn't have done it alone. Tell me who?"

As she moves slowly, testing the strength of her legs, Fiona mumbles feebly. "Don't tell him a bloody thing. He relinquished his power, he's toothless now. He can do nothing more to you."

Even as Bella questions the validity of her words, Hades smiles coldly and offers her a nonchalant shrug. "That's true, because quite frankly, beating a woman physically until she's nothing more than a matted jumble of blood and bruises is just too messy for my tastes. However, my wife has relinquished nothing."

When Regina and Cora both step forward, he gestures their way. "Neither have they. I'd be only too happy to step back and leave you to them. Your choice."

Harry watches Bella's head wobble listlessly side to side as if it's attachment to her neck has somehow been compromised. "Fiona, if you don't tell him. I will." She shivers despite the oppressive heat that sucks nearly all the oxygen out of the cave; causing everyone else there to see perspire heavily.

Ron stares in profound shock as he watches the teeth of the woman who tried to murder his sister chatter uncontrollably. Her lips go gray as if she were visiting Antarctica, instead of the gateway to Hell. "What's wrong with her?" He questions, wiping sweat from his brow. It's easily 120°in here. Why the bloody hell is she shivering as if she's nearing hypothermia."

Zelena offers him a smug smile. "She was a mortal witch. Only my husband's hold on magic has been surrendered. The gestational curse we crafted is still in effect. Her body still believes it is pregnant with the child of a god."

Bella groans miserably. "Please just made it stop." Her voice quivers erratically as her teeth continue to clatter involuntarily. We wanted… We needed the baby, a child born of both god and mortal. We needed his newborn breath… To cast a resurrection spell."

Bella's hand quivers violently as she points an accusatory finger at Fiona whose knees are about to buckle as she sweats profusely and swallows hard against the rising tide of bile at the back of her throat. "Shut up! You loose-lipped babbling twit!"

Bella continues haltingly. "Why? You can't possibly hurt me any worse than the three of them." She makes eye contact with the trio of women. "She wants another life. So do I, but I have no quarrel with the people of Storybrooke. She wants your town. She wants it for herself."

Hades repeats his question. "The identity of the person who aided you in acquiring your partnership with the dementors? I will not ask again."

Just before the merciful blackness of unconsciousness claims Bella, her unfocused gaze slides to Zelena and she whispers breathlessly, "You should not have murdered his son. It was the Dark One and he's been biding his time; waiting. He wants the life of your son in retribution for the life of his."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Well, of course! Why didn't I see it before now?"

"Like anyone could've seen that coming!" Zelena counters snidely.

"We should have. Are you ever going to forget this day, the day someone tried to kill your child?"

"Point taken."

When Hades suddenly groans in frustration, all eyes turn to him expectantly. "What? I need help!" He snaps, spitting out those three words as if they leave a sour taste in his mouth. "I forgot, I can't leave… Not without magic."

Regina raises an inquiring eyebrow. "You're ready to leave now? To go where?"

"To Storybrooke." Hades snaps again as if it should be obvious.

"Oh, really Lord Death? To do what?"

"I'm going to kill that miserable bastard."

Regina laughs derisively. "You and what army?"

He stares pointedly at his sister-in-law.

Regina shakes her head emphatically and holds out her hands as if warding off an attacker. "Oh no, don't look at me. I'm not going to stand by and let him hurt your child, but I'm not going to help you kill him either."

Hades groans in dyer exasperation. He lifts his chin, staring at the ceiling, he bellows, "Zeus!"

He waits an acceptable interval and then tries again. "Zeus!"

He paces.

When no response is forthcoming, he shouts louder, demanding. "Zeus, don't pretend you don't know what's going on down here. Get your lily-white ass down here and help me!"

When he's met with a profoundly deafening silence, he glances at Regina again.

She shrugs. "Did you really think insulting him was going to work?"

"You call him. He'll answer you. He likes you."

"Will you stop that!" She orders with hostility. "He's your brother. He has been for… I don't know how many centuries. It has certainly been long enough for the two of you to learn how to talk to each other."

Hades frowns. "Stop what?"

"Every time you and I are talking, and the subject of your brother comes up, you act as if I have some sort of almighty control over him. Like maybe I'm somehow privy to his secrets, or like you think I've seen him naked."

"Have you?"

Regina rolls her eyes and declines to answer such a ludicrous question. Shielding her eyes from the expected upcoming flash of brilliant lightning, she calmly calls out in a much quieter voice, "Zeus, a little help down here, if you please, sir."

As expected, she receives an immediate reply although not from the one she anticipated. Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, arrives, striding out of a dazzling burst of soft pink light that is far less blinding; but no less spectacular than her father's. She smiles warmly for all and gives her immediate attention to Regina. "Daddy sends his regards. He asked me to tell you that, regrettably, he's just the teensy-tiniest bit busy right now and that I am to help you with anything you need. So, here I am. At your service."

Hades sighs in exasperation. "He's busy."

Aphrodite nods. "Hello Uncle." She chimes softly as she drops a light kiss on his cheek. He's in a meeting with some bigwig muckity-mucks."

Hades scowls. "Does he know what's going on down here right now?"

The goddess of love flashes another captivating smile. "Of course, he does, silly. Daddy knows everything."

"And whatever he's doing, it's more important than this? Hades gestures to the group of people around him.

Aphrodite shrugs provocatively. "He told me to tell you that he will see you as soon as he's free. He wants a word with you too."

"And exactly who are these all-important bigwigs he's meeting with?"

"He told me you would ask. He also told me to tell you that he's meeting with the United Brotherhood of Its-none-of-your-damn-business."

Hades huffs, but before he can continue on his present course, Regina steps into the conversation again. "Aphrodite, we need a word with the current Dark One. Here, we have the home turf advantage, or at least your uncle does. Think you can fetch him for us?"

"Gosh is that all? This should be child's play!" She pauses for a moment, obviously thinking. Decision made, she turns a little circle, sashaying and posing as if she's on a catwalk in Milan while she glamours into the image of Rumpelstiltskin's wife. "Be back in a jiff." She snaps her fingers and disappears from view walking back into the same soft pink patina that she walked out of on arrival.

While they wait for her return, Cora, still suffering the lingering effects of the dementors kiss, leans against a wall fanning herself. Glistening with noticeable perspiration, she asks, "Isn't there some places cooler we can wait. I think we've all been down here next to this volcanic pit a little too long."

Eyeing her mother with concern, Regina re-shackles both Fiona and Bellatrix with the wave of her hand and with a second wave, they all find themselves magically transported to a lush green spot outside the mouth of the cave where foliage is dense, and sweet-smelling wildflowers grow freely. Standing in unfettered evening sunlight, Zelena reaches for her husband's hand; a look of uncertainty and panic washing over her.

"Hades?" She says as the gravity of their situation takes root. She searches his face beseechingly. "What have you done?"

He smiles patiently and assures. "Don't worry, my love. Everything will work out."

Rolling her eyes at her own choice of words, Regina declares, "Snow White would approve."

Hades cringes. "Not at all why I did this."

Regina nods. "I know that. I'm just saying…"

Zelena raises an eyebrow. "Exactly what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Greenie, that the balance has been restored. This place was never meant to be a hellish purgatory. It was meant to be limbo - a place for troubled souls to come rest, reflect, and find closure before moving on to their final destination."

Zelena suddenly looks more worried than before. "But, Zeus took your power when he cast you down from Olympus. If you've released your hold on this place…"

Hades nods. "Then I release my claim on the power of its residents."

She shakes her head. "But Hades…"

"Shh." He places a gentle finger to her lips and drops his voice to a whisper. "The truth is, this whole debacle is my fault. Fiona would never have gotten a foothold if I hadn't left her in charge. But it's done and it's too late to reverse that decision. This was the only way to rein her in. Zelena, as long as I hold this place captive for the sake of darkness, as long as there are those who would seek to use that darkness for their own means, our children will never be safe. That is beyond unacceptable. The welfare of our children is worth this and so much more. For them, there is no cost I won't pay. There is no sacrifice too great."

Harry and Ron breathe deeply drawing in healthy amounts of fresh air as they loosen their collars and roll up their sleeves; all the while keeping a watchful eye on Bellatrix and Fiona.

Concerned about her condition, Regina wearily supports and guides her mother to a nearby boulder, not the least bit surprised or ungrateful when she suddenly feels the much-needed strength in Robin's hand beneath her elbow or in the arm that knows just when to find its way around her waist.

Once Cora is safely seated, Regina allows him to guide her as she turns and collapses against the same boulder, sitting immediately to her mother's left.

"What was that?" Cora asks, still sounding far away and dazed.

Regina squints and studies her mother's face, trying to pick up the thread of her thoughts. "What? The Dementors kiss?"

Cora nods feebly. Her thoughts still disjointed, her eyes still unfocused. "That was…" She sniffs suddenly, making a weakened attempt to square her shoulders and maintain the minuscule shred of composure she has regained since her assault.

"Unimaginable excruciating. Robin finishes for them both as he kneels before his wife and attempts to loosen the clasp on her cloak.

Despite her own exhaustion, Regina makes a pitiful attempt to stop him, slapping gently at his hands. "Don't." She whispers for their ears only.

Understanding, Robin glances briefly at Fiona and Bella, who are several feet away. He whispers quietly, "They're restrained, the kid is safe… and I have to. Your roasting under this heavy thing." He releases the clasp even as she shakes her head in protest and pushes the cloak from her shoulders. "Just sit here. Cool off…" He eyes her with concern; placing an affectionate palm gently against an overly warm, rose-colored cheek. "And don't argue with me… We both know you don't have the energy."

Cora watches quietly, confused and astonished by the sight of her daughter's clearly visible vulnerability in the moment not to mention her distended abdomen; clearly heavy with child.

Regina weakly opens her mouth to offer the argument her husband doesn't want to hear and then, rolling her eyes, she quietly mutters, "I know I'm repeating myself but, I have no idea how Zelena does this. How she allowed herself to be exposed to the possibility of a second child…" she shakes her head and inhales deeply.

Robin laughs quietly and whispers. "Your brother-in-law seems to think you wouldn't pass up the chance for a similar opportunity."

Regina chuckles softly in derision as she smiles and runs her fingers through Robin's hair. "My brother-in-law is an oversexed buffoon who apparently thinks anyone in possession of godly status is irresistible to us mere mortal women."

"I've told you before, there's nothing mere about you."

"Maybe there's not, but I don't feel that way right now. I think Bella is pretty much down for the count. I don't think she's going to give us much trouble anymore. But if Fiona looks like she's getting a second wind, or maybe like she wants to push her luck, do me a favor, and shoot her ass."

Robin flashes his smile. "She will look like a bloody porcupine when I'm done with her."

"And if I pass out…"

He shrugs. "I'll get you home."

She nods. "While I'm unconscious, see if you can talk our niece into giving her little brother back to their parents." She touches the belly that Robin's body shields from the eyes of those that would seek to do her and a pint-sized deity harm. "Robin, I feel like there's a Bacchanalian orgy going on inside my body and my invitation got lost in the mail."

He smiles sympathetically. "Just rest." He presses the back of his hand to her forehead curiously. "You're boiling. When this is over, I'll take you home and put you in another ice-cold bath."

"You say the sweetest things."

Trying to hold her own tongue, Cora closes her eyes and wishes she were not witness to this conversation.

Robin shrugs, even if he were aware of them, he would choose to disregard Cora's private opinions. "Yep, that's me, incurable romantic at your service, my love."

The frown on Regina's face begins to form even before he's through speaking and her overheated rose-colored flesh abruptly goes alarmingly pale.

"What, what's wrong Regina?"

Too troubled to answer his question, Regina shrugs back into her cloak and forces herself to her feet with no small amount of difficulty. She leaves Robin and Cora staring after her in wonder as she steps quickly in her sister's direction.

"Regina." Zelena doesn't know which she finds more unsettling; the look of alarm in her younger sister's eyes or the fact that she's clearly beyond exhaustion.

Likewise, Regina finds she's much too tired to waste time easing into the topic, so she jumps right in with both feet. "Once you to get Rumpelstiltskin here, exactly what do you intend to do with him?"

Both Zelena and Hades look at her as if she has suddenly and irrevocably lost her mind. Zelena is the first to speak. "As long as he's breathing, my son will never be safe."

Regina hisses incredulously, barely above a whisper. "So, you intend to kill him?"

Hades shrugs as if she just accused him of parking illegally. "I don't really see that there's any other option."

Regina presses her fingertips to her temples as if she's trying to ward off a migraine and shakes her head. "You two aren't thinking clearly. I completely understand that the children must be protected at all costs, but you're not looking beyond that. Has either one of you considered what happens after you kill him?"

Zelena sighs dramatically. If my children get to live productive happy lives, what do I care?"

Regina brings her hands together in front of her mouth. More to herself than them, she whispers, "Spoken like grieving angry parents."

Hades snaps, "Can you blame us?"

Regina shakes her head. "No, I don't blame you. I'd be in the same place if we were talking about any one of my kids right now. But, think for a minute. What, you renounce darkness for the sake of your children only to take it up again ten minutes later…" She squints suspiciously as a new horrifying thought occurs to her. "Or was that the plan all along?"

Hades scowls. "Regina, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you can't kill him. He is the Dark One! Whoever kills Gold takes the Dark One in."

"And, you think that was my plan. Regina, which one of us isn't thinking now? I've been a god for more centuries than most mortals can count. After that, you really think I want to downgrade far enough to actually become the Dark One? Don't insult me like that."

Regina sighs with frigid uncertainty. "Okay, if that's not the plan then what is - to stand by and watch while your wife becomes the Dark One? Because if either one of you is planning on killing him that is what's going to happen. I understand you can't just call it water under the bridge and walk away, but you have to think of an alternative to murder."

Hades and Zelena turn to each other, but before either can voice their thoughts or even make a decision, Aphrodite reappears, once again in possession of her own glorious form with a paralyzed Rumpelstiltskin in tow.

Regina waves a hand directly in front of his slack-jawed petrified face. When her movement registers no response, no indication that the lights are on, she turns to the goddess. "What happened to him?"

Aphrodite giggles; delighted with herself. "He kissed me. Though, to be fair, he thought I was his wife."

Robin stares with a bizarre mix of fascination and obvious discomfort. "This is what happens to the men who kiss you?"

"It is if I want it to be." She winks playfully.

Robin takes a trepidation step backward even as he laughs. "I don't think he's ever looked better."

Before the situation can devolve into sheer calamity, Regina takes Robin's elbow. "Aphrodite, thank you for your assistance. If you don't mind, my husband and I would like to lift home now, please."

Zelena's mouth falls open in shock. "You're leaving… Now?"

Regina nods decisively. I told you less than ten minutes ago; I won't stand by and allow him to harm your children, but I won't help you kill him either. Whatever happens next is entirely up to you."