Liam Jones' day consisted of restocking the bar and wiping down surfaces, the same old monotonous routine that he had followed since he had been sentenced upon his death and subsequent arrival in the Underworld. The Rabbit Hole was one of the only establishments for which the denizens of this hellish realm could get a decent drink, and as such, it was usually heavily frequented in the evenings by souls who had no other recourse or comfort. Liam didn't know exactly why Hades had insisted he man the bar as his punishment, but he supposed it was the least he could serve given his actions during his all-too-short shot at life.

The interactions he was forced to undergo with the rest of the crew from the Hispaniola were awkward, to say the least, but given that none of them suspected him of having a hand in their deaths, he could get through the paid transactions for rum just fine. He even had begun to strike up a tentative sort of friendship with his old captain (and slaver) Silver, as strange as it was to think about.

It was on this typical evening, with no changes to his routine and duties, that he heard the words he had waited for so long to hear. Silver had come in for his usual drink, sat at the counter, and waited to be served. Once he had rum in hand, SIlver finally spoke to Liam, having remained uncharacteristically silent the whole time.

"So I hear that your brother is finally in town," Silver stated, taking a sip of the libation before continuing, pretending that he didn't notice Liam stilling out of shock, "Apparently he went by Captain Hook for a time. Word on the street is that Hades has it out for him."

Liam blinked, processing the information. "Have you seen him?" he finally settled on asking.

Silver shook his head. "I can't say I have. I've heard that there's a woman down here looking for him, but I don't know how true that is."

Liam thought hard. He wondered if Hades had Killian in the throne room; that was usually where he kept his new citizens while they were acclimated to the Underworld. Perhaps he could go there and find out? Hades surely wouldn't turn him away if he sought out an audience, would he? Hades didn't owe him anything, but surely he would understand Liam's need to seek out his brother one last time? His mind made up, he continued to carry out his duties, only halfway paying attention to what it was he needed to do. He was too busy focusing on getting to his brother to pay attention otherwise.

Liam would go to that house that he knew hosted the entrance to Hades' throne room in the morning. He would go into the basement, much like he had that last time he had sought an audience with Hades, and he would ask to see his brother one last time. He wouldn't let Killian be sentenced by Hades without trying to make things right with his brother, even if he couldn't explain to Killian just what it was he was trying to atone for.

The next morning dawned as bright as it could in the Underworld under the sky of red haze. Liam waited as long as he could stand before he finally gave in and made his way to that blue Victorian house he had visited when he had first arrived in the Underworld. The house itself was an anomaly; it was a beautiful, welcoming home that Liam was sure would have housed a large family in the Land of the Living, but here it was vacant with the air of forlorn melancholy. The rooms on the ground floor were filled with old toys, a baby's crib, and sprinkled with a liberal application of dust and cobwebs. The presence of the baby artifacts was always curious to Liam, but he had to push that curiosity aside the last time he had visited Hades. He was sure that he'd push the curiosity aside once more.

When he arrived outside the house, he stopped in his tracks, startled at what he was seeing. The lights were on inside; the last time he had been here, the house had been shrouded in darkness. Perplexed as to what it meant, he paused. Maybe the people to whom it belonged had recently passed, and they had claimed it as their own? If this were the case, perhaps he could ask politely to pass through to the basement to have a word with Hades? Surely they would allow him his request?

Squaring his shoulders, he ascended the front steps to the long front porch and knocked on the door. He waited for a moment before a beautiful blonde woman opened the door. Liam was momentarily taken aback by her appearance, but he quickly put his shock to the side at her greeting.

"Hi," said the blonde with uncertainty. "Can I-"

Movement behind her caught his eye and he gasped. "Killian?" He questioned, cutting off the blonde beauty in front of him.

The blonde, realizing that this was someone that Killian must have known, stepped aside as Liam took a step forward into the house, not caring whether he was actually invited in or not. Killian looked at him like a deer caught in a car's headlights.

"Liam?" Killian asked huskily, not believing his eyes.

Liam stepped further into the entryway of the house. "So the rumors are true. After all these years, my little brother is finally here."

Killian stepped forward and threw his arms around Liam. "That's 'younger brother' to you," he replied. Liam chuckled, returning Killian's embrace.

"It's been too long," Liam simply stated, feeling a bit choked up at seeing his brother after all this time. "I never dreamed that you'd actually be here."

Killian pulled back suddenly, leaving Liam feeling a bit bereft at their first meeting after centuries of being separated, but before Liam could say anything, Killian had turned to the blonde. He waved her over, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly in his. He turned to his brother and smiled.

"Brother," Killian began, turning back to the blonde, "this is Emma Swan, my love and savior. Hades tried to send me to the depths of the River of Lost Souls, and she was able to save me before he was successful. We owe our reunion to her."

Liam turned and looked at her and smiled slightly. "Then we are in your debt."

Emma returned his smile, saying as she did so, "I couldn't let him stay down here at Hades' mercy. Not after all that happened before his…". Emma stumbled a bit here before continuing, "…death."

Liam watched as Killian's smile, which had been genuine up to that moment, became strained and awkward. No one said anything for several moments' worth of silence before Emma cleared her throat and gestured towards the kitchen.

"Can I get you something to drink?" She asked.

Liam nodded. "Water will be fine."

Emma turned and moved into the kitchen to get them all glasses of water, Killian and Liam moving to follow her but sitting at the table. Once they all had refreshments, Emma hovered for a moment indecisively. Finally she turned to Killian.

"If it's alright with you, I'm going to go check in with my parents and Henry. Let them know what's going on. I'll let you two catch up?"

Killian nodded. "Aye, love. We'll be fine."

Liam noticed that Killian didn't quite meet her eyes with his, and he wondered at the stilted air between the two lovers. He didn't say anything, just gave an acknowledging grimace that mimicked a smile at her glance his way, but he did watch her leave the room and head upstairs.

"I take it this was her house in life?" Liam asked.

Killian nodded. "It still is," his brother replied. "I picked it for her as a symbol of our plans for the future."

Liam's brow raised in surprise. "Plans?"

"Aye," Killian responded simply. "She came here from the Land of the Living to save me from Hades' clutches, and she wants to try and restore my life."

Liam stared. "She's not dead?"

Killian shook his head. "No, none of her family or friends are. They all came down here to help her."

Liam shook his head. "She wants to restore you to life?"

Killian nodded. He hesitated a moment, unsure of what his brother would say about the whole tale.

Liam sighed. It seemed as if his brother needed a little coaxing into the tale of his life first. "Well, tell me about how you lived so long. What happened?"

Killian sighed as well and launched into that tale, of how he had turned pirate after Liam's death and sought revenge for Liam's poisoning. He then continued to describe meeting Milah and running off with her on his ship, causing her to abandon her husband and young son. He proceeded to describe how he met her estranged husband years later as the Dark One and lost his first love to the demon. He spoke of how he used a magic bean to travel to the place where Liam had lost his life, Neverland, as a way of buying himself more time to figure out how to exact revenge against the Dark One.

Throughout the tale, Liam remained silent, choosing only to remark, "I've heard many a tale of Captain Hook these last few decades," crossing his arms and looking reproachfully at his brother. Killian had the decency to look ashamed of his actions, Liam was at least pleased to note.

Then Killian launched into his tale of meeting Emma, explaining how he had met the woman they called the Savior in the Enchanted Forest and was captivated by her light from the onset, but fought valiantly against his feelings, until it was finally too late. He told of how many times they had been separated and how many times they had found their way back to each other, finishing the tale with their latest misadventure of becoming Dark Ones that ended with Killian sacrificing his own life to end the Darkness once and for all, only for that sacrifice to be in vain (as the imp Rumplestiltskin had found a way to take back his power at the expense of Killian's life). Though Killian tried to tell the tale in a way that protected Emma's role in causing Killian's future, the future Liam, himself, had worked so hard to protect, to be lost in a swirl of darkness, Liam could tell who he had to blame for Killian's life being cut short.

He didn't have to look very far, as she was just upstairs. Liam decided at that moment that he couldn't stand Emma Swan for wasting all of Liam's hard work. He knew that to say that out loud to Killian would be a mistake, however. First of all, Killian didn't know of Liam's sacrifice, and second of all, Killian seemed quite enamored of the blonde (though Liam did pick up on some strain between the two; perhaps that was due to Killian's tendency to bear the burden of guilt quite heavily?). He would have to express his doubts about Emma's role as hero in this quite carefully so as to avoid alienating his brother.

"She doesn't exactly sound like someone who would encourage you to be the hero you should be. I must admit, I'm a little taken aback that she was the one you'd pick," Liam said, crossing his arms and pondering the story that Killian had told him, one of heroes and villains and Dark Ones and Excalibur and death.

Killian shook his head vehemently. "She pulled me out of the darkness in which I found myself. She's good and true, a hero for all the realms. You don't know her, Liam."

"I know enough," Liam responded, taking a sip of his water.

"No, you don't. You didn't know her before she became the Dark One, you didn't know her after she took the Darkness to save us all, and you didn't see how she was able to overcome it. You don't know her better than I. I won't stand to hear you cast any more aspersions against her character. She is all that is Light and good. She makes me want to try and be the man I always wanted to be." Killian stared hard at Liam, trying to make him understand why Emma was his choice.

Liam considered Killian's words for a moment before nodding to communicate his understanding. Though he completely disagreed with his brother's summation of Emma Swan, he wasn't fool enough to continue to voice his opinions to his brother out loud. After being unable to see his brother for so long, he didn't want to anger Killian by offering an opinion that clearly wasn't wanted. But Liam thought it was perfectly acceptable to have an opinion on the lass that was different from his brother's, and it was that opinion that he would hold onto. After all, Liam hadn't condemned an entire crew to death by drowning in a storm just for some blonde to come in and undo all of his hard work at making sure his brother had the chance to be a great hero. Liam resolved that he would make it his personal mission to ensure that she wouldn't derail Killian's death as one.

He would be on his brother's side regardless of whether his brother would want him to be or not. LIam and Killian drank their water, and after a few more moments Emma came down the stairs. She sat down and picked up her glass and took a gulp.

"So I told my parents that we would meet them in an hour at the loft," Emma announced. Killian nodded. "They told me that souls completing their unfinished business and moving on somehow manages to weaken Hades' hold over everything."

"So all we have to do is get as many people as possible to finish their unfinished business, then?" Killian quirked an eyebrow at her. "Do I understand it correctly?"

Emma shrugged. "Apparently it can help, but I don't know how we can figure out what each person's unfinished business is."

Killian hummed and played with his glass. "Perhaps each person would have some idea of what it could be?" He turned to Liam. "Liam, what about you? Why are you down here?"

Liam shook his head. "I wish I knew." Liar, he thought. "I spent countless years trying to figure out the reason." Liam's eyes trailed down and stared at the right hand side of the table. He didn't catch Emma's furrowed brow and the suspicious tilting of her eyes as he thought about the situation. He hadn't needed to spend years trying to discern a reason; the reason was sitting right in front of him, though Killian didn't know it. Liam had borne the countless years of guilt due to his decision that put them on the path they had followed.

Killian turned to Emma and told her, "There is no reason. Hades has the game rigged so no one can leave. My brother's proof of that. Never did a bad thing in his life."

Liam grimaced a pained smile that he hoped came off as geniune at Killian's commendations.

"He even died nobly, stopping a treacherous king from poisoning the realm," Killian finished.

Liam's heart panged with guilt and shame. His gut churned and he felt as if he were going to be sick all over their kitchen floor. His palms felt sweaty, and it was lucky he were seated because his knees had suddenly gone weak and his legs had lost all feeling.

To cover his discomfort, he stated, "Stop it. You're making me blush."

Luckily, Liam's two companions didn't notice his embarrassment. Killian continued, "Hades has you, too, trapped down here, and that cannot stand. The only way everyone will get free is if we defeat Hades once and for all." Emma nodded, and Killian turned back to his brother. "Liam, you've been down here a long time. Surely you must know something that can help us."

Liam tried his best to set aside the guilt roiling in his gut to answer. "I know this is a very dangerous game you're playing," he warned Killian and Emma, who seemed to pay it no heed. "There are those who tried to overthrow Hades before," he added. "They always spoke of a… a book, which had the power to defeat him. I tried to find it myself, but I'm not even sure what to look for." This was the rumor that had circulated over the years between the patrons of The Rabbit Hole. He was sure that it wouldn't mean anything to his brother or his brother's lover.

Emma tilted her head in consideration. "I think it's a storybook," she announced, drawing the attention of the two men.

Liam blinked. "Storybook? Oh, I'd wager it would take more than stories," he dismissed.

Killian raised his right hand and waved a pointed finger. "No, no, no, no, no. She's onto something. In our world, there's a book like this."

Liam stared uncomprehendingly.

"Everything up there has a version down here. There has to be one in the Underworld," Emma explained.

Killian turned to Emma and added, "If there's a story in that book about Hades," he glanced briefly at Liam before turning his eyes back to Emma's, "we can learn his weakness and exploit it."

Liam drew a deep breath. He had told them of the book as a throwaway comment; he hadn't meant for them to take it seriously. But looking at his brother, he could tell how serious Killian was about this goal. Killian was stubborn, to put it mildly. He wouldn't let this go until it was done. He shrugged.

"All right," Liam responded. "If you believe in this, Killian, I'm with you to the end. This fiend trapped me and tortured you. The day you push your sailors too far…"

"Is the day mutiny begins," Killian finished with a grin. Liam returned it halfheartedly. He knew it wasn't Hades that had trapped him here in the Underworld; it was his own inability to face his worst mistake. He just hoped he could continue to keep it a secret from his brother and from his old crew.