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Chapter Two

The Journey Begins

"I AM CHARON. TAKE MY HAND AND I SHALL TAKE THEE TO THE UNDERWORLD."

Emma hears the eerie voice in her head and without a thought begins to extend her hand up. Rumple quickly and aggressively grabs Emma's right hand in his left.

"I wouldn't do that dear unless you want to join your pirate in Tartarus permanently." He says the word permanently with inflection. Whenever Gold speaks he likes to pack a punch to drive his meaning in. Emma looks at him with questioning eyes.

"A touch from death will kill you instantly supposing you're not dead already." He smirks and turns to Charon offering him three silver coins in place of Emma's life. Emma doesn't know whether she should be flattered or insulted.

"HA HA HA HA." The voice gets creepier by the minute. Emma was still trying to figure out whether it was more male or female.

"DON'T INSULT ME WITH SUCH FEEBLE OFFERINGS." Emma mentally hears a strange clicking sound when death communicates. It's loud and annoying. She doesn't understand any of this.

Regina and Emma both look at one another each wondering if the other could hear the clicking sound.

Gold lowers his gaze, "This can be doubled if you wish."

"DOUBLED? DOST THOU THINK SIX SILVER COINS ARE THE EQUAL OF THREE HUMAN LIVES FOR TRANSPORT?"

Charon seems irritated. His or her voice hasn't changed much in her head but Emma can feel it's emotions growing stronger. Emma's beginning to panic. Thoughts are racing through her head, 'Fantastic we pissed off death!'

"I beg your forgiveness if we have insulted you." Gold pulls out several gold coins. "Here are six gold coins and an extra two for your trouble of having to bring us back.

"WELL IT SEEMS WE HAVE REACHED AN UNDERSTANDING."

Regina sees death's long arm extend down towards Rumple. The moth eaten cloak pulls back as it does this. Regina can now see what she believes are long, bony fingers. Except upon closer inspection she realizes it's fingers are not bone at all. What appeared to be fingers and a hand are actually a metallic composition of some sort. It's hand looks like moving metals almost like mercury taking different forms as it moves all along its extremity. They also change colors; keeping with the consistency of different metals. Displaying different shades of silver while darkening like titanium, yellow like the gold it's about to receive, and even shades of black. She saw other colors too odd to describe. It's hand looks alive like insects crawling over skin. This gives Regina the chills. She's seen strange demons before but this is unlike anything she has experienced. She wonders if Rumple has ever seen anything like this.

The giant accepts the coins in it's metallic hands and just as Regina is about to breath a sigh of relief it brings the coins towards it's face and chews on them. They can hear the crunching and strange clicks! Regina feels enlightened. The clicks are the metals moving around in it's mouth like a piece of chewing gum. 'That's why the Greeks offered two gold coins by placing them over their deceased one's eyes.' She almost nodded to herself as she understood this. Suddenly, although she couldn't see it's face, a pair of yellow eyes begin to light up like two lanterns by a campfire as it chews its metal.

Charon turns exposing it's metallic hand again inviting them onto his/her skiff. Rumple let's the ladies go first. Emma climbs in and turns, extending her hand to help Regina. Regina normally doesn't appreciate anyone coddling her but part of her appreciates Emma's kind and "gentle- womanly" gesture. She wanted to be annoyed with Emma for thinking she needed assistance, her, the evil queen. But for a brief moment her hand felt warm again. She told herself it was worth accepting the offer if only for that.

Once aboard everyone quickly found a seat. Emma and Regina sat next to each other on a rackety wooden board towards the front and Gold sat on an identical one right behind them. Charon, who's back was the only thing they could all see, began lifting his massive oar at the front of the tiny skiff, preparing to steer away. It was only now sitting on this tiny, rotting, weathered boat that Emma felt the gravity of what they were doing. Of what she had decided to do. She already felt guilt for dragging everyone along and even though she had lost seventy percent of the party they were still three. She was always so sure of herself but this was different. They may never come back. Suddenly, it fully hit her that if something happened to both her and Regina Henry would be an orphan, just like her. Panic sets in and all she can think about is getting Regina off of the boat, "Wait!"

Death stops, looking frozen in time.

"Regina this is a bad idea you gotta get back to the shore."

"I already told you." Regina annoyingly states, "Why is the idiot gene taking over tonight?" Regina was not in the mood for another argument this evening. "I'm going with you..."

"If something happens to both of us Henry will be left alone." Emma's eyes water at the mention of Henry's name. Regina can only imagine how much pain Emma must have gone through growing up without parents. That pain was all her fault. The least she could do was keep her safe in the underworld.

Gold chimes in, "Now is when you think of this dearie?"

"Shut up Gold! Nothing is going to happen to us Emma. This negativity isn't very 'charming-like' of you."

Emma springs up looking down causing the boat to rock a bit, "No Regina I won't drag you..."

"Miss Swan, no one is dragging anyone. As far as I know we all volunteered. Now shut up and sit down before you tip us over!"

Emma sits down unhappily for being treated like a child and for being back to the ridiculous 'Miss Swan' thing.

"Besides who else is going to make sure you don't get yourself killed?" Regina mumbles under her breath.

She cares, Emma knows Regina cares. It touches her deeply that Regina would now risk her life to help her on this mission. It's this very feeling that is torturing her. She mentally chides herself for being so selfish and not putting a stop to this sooner. Saving Hook was her choice. She should have gone at it alone and not risked anyone, especially not Regina. After so much time spent trying to find her happy ending she should have left her to it. Even though the tree-hugging thief she calls "her soulmate" behaved very oddly tonight. If Emma let herself think too much it would piss her off that he didn't seem to care that Regina was leaving...leaving...

Emma looks up to tell Charon to continue when she realizes they are no longer in Storybrook. They are still surrounded by a light fog, but now she see's they steer over open waters; an ocean that seems more like a strange and dark abyss.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD LISTEN TO YOUR COMMANDS MORTAL?"

"Where are you taking us?" Emma has no control.

"YOUR DESTINATION IS THE UNDERWORLD. DO NOT ASK WHEN YOU WILL ARRIVE FOR IT HAS NOT TO DO WITH MY OARS. WHEN THE GREAT SHIP OF SOULS YOU SEE YOU SHALL BE CLOSER. BUT BEWARE MY LIVING MORTALS; THIS VOYAGE CARRIES MANY SOULS."