Underworld reunion spec ficlet...
He's always thought himself to be strong of will; having lived as long as he has one must be. But facing this River of Lost Souls, he can't help the feeling of longing to give in and finally be rid of this torture. He could endure this torment if he was indeed mindless as Hades has promised, stripped of all thoughts of the ones he loves…the one he loves most.
Emma.
The flicker of fight left within him bears her name. Even now, as his consciousness fades and the tingling of his limbs settles into numbness, that tiny flame manages to burn on. From the sliver of sight remaining behind his swollen eyelids he can just make out the ghost-like figures swirling in the putrid water below. Some seem to be calling to him for help, others offering an invitation.
As everything extinguishes to black he wonders if he will remember her, if there is in fact a dimension where he will not know the love of Emma Swan and love her in return.
This question is not allowed an answer.
It's all light, blinding and beautiful and for a moment he believes that he is in the arms of an angel, his long, torturous life finally having found its end.
He's not wrong, about the first.
Cradling him tight is his angel, his Emma, his Swan. The light is emanating from her palm as it hovers over his face, each merciful second providing a clarity of vision as the swelling begins to subside. With limbs still like dead weights and a throat too worn to speak, he clamps his eyes on hers in a silent, desperate plea.
The salt of her tears heal the cracked skin of his lips as she complies, the warmth of her mouth against his bringing life into his bones and a pulsing surge in his veins. He doesn't know if it's magic, True Love's kiss or something else. All he knows is he finally has the strength to lift his hand to her cheek, the voice to breathe her name against her lips.
They stay there together even as a steady rain begins to fall, the fate of his soul firmly back in the healing hands of his savior, never to be lost again.