Chapter 2

It's surprisingly chilly in the underworld, she thinks to herself as she tugs her coat tighter around her curves. Daniel looks over to her as they walk to find the Charmings.

"You're thinking about your mother." He points out.

And of course he would know that, he's seen that look in her eyes many times. He takes her silence as a yes.

"She's different looking now... Dresses like you are right now, in those strange garments." He explains and she stops in her tracks. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

"You've seen her? Has she approached you? Did she hurt you? What happened?" Her questions couldn't stop, she just had so many of them. She frowns once again when he chuckles in response.

"Regina, my love, please. You needn't worry. What's she going to do? Kill me?"

She smirks at that. She notices he hasn't lost his sense of humor, with a shake of her head, she chuckles sadly. "Ha. Ha."

He laughs then. Laughs at her sarcasm, because he can still remember when she was just starting out in the sassy phase. She definitely hasn't grown out of it. He wraps an arm around her as they walk. "Regina, I'm fine. She didn't say anything to me, she probably hasn't even noticed me."

She relaxes at that, they walk for a while, until they come across David and Snow. The face on the princess' face was priceless when she sees Daniel. She starts apologizing immediately. Begs him for his forgiveness. He just looks at Regina with confusion in his eyes. Regina snorts a laugh.

"Daniel, this is the little girl who helped with your murder." She says, just making Snow cry even more. Of course Regina has moved passed it, but there's not a chance in hell that she wouldn't take the opportunity to make Snow worry and cry.

After a minute or two, it just became annoying. "Snow, please shut up, my God! I was just screwing with you..." The annoyed queen spats, making Daniel chuckle and David scowl.

"Regina." The prince warns, which only makes Regina roll her eyes.

"Would you mind if we moved on to the fact that your daughter didn't bring Robin's wife back, she brought my sister?" She asks, drawing a gasp from the shocked prince.

Snow snickers, which made Regina's blood boil.

"David, it's just another one of her tricks to try and make me feel responsible for something!" The princess points out, or so she thinks.

David swallows hard, seeing the look on Regina's face said otherwise. "Uh, Snow... I don't think she's kidding.."

Snow laughs once again, "She really has you scared of her!"

Daniel chimes in at that, "Princess? Regina is not fooling you... It's a long story, but she's telling the truth. How about we go somewhere and think of a plan?"

As the stable boy and the Shepard start to walk towards what seems to be the Underworld's version of Granny's, Regina walks with Snow, staring at her with a scowl. The nervous princess begins to sweat profusely. After a moment, Snow looks at Regina. "Oh come on! How was I supposed to know?!"

Meanwhile,

The pirate and thief. You'd think they would be able to escape this prison without any problem. But alas, no. They sit there, not knowing what to do or how to do it. They need to find their loves, Robin needs to see Regina or he might actually die... Again. He misses her so much, needs to apologize, needs to beg her for her forgiveness. He's royally screwed up by leaving for New York, and for leaving with her sister. Sure he didn't know it was Zelena, but he shouldn't have left at all.

They settle on a plan, finally. They decide to just walk out of their cells, more like sections of a large room.

"This seems way too easy."

"I'm aware, but we will face the obstacles when we reach them. We don't have time to make up a list of things that can possibly be in here." Robin says, just needing to get to Regina.

"What if they know where we are? What if they're on their way?" The pirate points out.

"Then you stay. I'll escape, if I find them, I'll come back for you. If they come here, tell them to come look for me at the graveyard tonight. I'll continue my search tomorrow if you all don't come to me."

"Robin-"

"Hook, there's nothing you can say to stop me from going." He says sternly.

Robin storms off, reaches what he thinks is an escape. As soon as he reaches the door, he feels a chill run up his spine. A noise that he can only describe as death itself. A snarl, maybe even a growl, but it confuses him. He can hear it happen ending three times in a row. As he turns around, his eyes set on a muscular dog, he thinks. It's nothing like he's ever seen. Eyes as red as blood, teeth as sharp as daggers, and that stench... It smells like death died and was left to rot in hell for a few eons. He swallows hard, takes a deep breath, and thinks about Regina. Thinks of how he needs to get to her, needs to tell her that he loves her before it's too late.

He takes off as fast as he can out of the door, he can feel the ground moving from the beast right behind him. He continues to run until he finds a tight space between a few boulders. Of course, the monster tries to move them. The sly man looks around his feet, finding a sharp rock. He figures anything is worth a shot, so he throws it the hardest his arm can possibly throw. The rock lands in the middle head's right eye. It let's out a loud scream and cry that the entire underworld hears.

Robin begins running when he sees the monstrosity was harmed.

She hears a sound that makes her spine want to shrivel up and break, her head turns quickly in the direction for which the echoes were coming from. "Robin."

She takes off running, knowing in her bones he was in danger. Daniel and David try to pull her back, but she was too quick. She runs, the men not far behind her screaming her name. When they get to the sight, she sees the abomination people call a dog. Her breath gets caught in her throat when she looks over to see signs of struggle between a few boulders. She couldn't tell if the person got away or not, but considering the beast scurries back off to wherever the hell it came from, she guesses the person got away.

So close, yet so far.