Chapter 13

The Flames of Time

Regina is led by the two slave women back through the corridor. They each entangle their arms around her as if they were "best girlfriends." Except Regina knows better. She knows they only try to keep her close for fear that she may try something. She can't help but wonder why Hades is so eager to spend time with them. She refuses to acknowledge Emma's persistent discourse claiming Hades only wants her. 'No, he probably only wants the dark one and somehow he thinks I am the road to my former teacher.' Still, even trying to rationalize what his intentions could be doesn't make them all the less threatening. If she were truly honest with herself she would note the seed of fear that's been trying to sprout and make it's way through her mind. A seed that surely Emma planted. But Regina couldn't afford to be honest with herself right now. So few times in her life she has been.

The blonde woman crosses in front of her with a seductive smile, "Close your eyes gorgeous majesty." Regina gives her a puzzled look as she runs her hand over Regina's eyes. 'She smells good. 'How can a servant, in hell none the less, smell so good?' Regina wonders. She also realizes that she recognizes that smell...'Is that Emma's perfume?' But it all goes dark again before she can process anything else.

When she comes to she is in a different room than the great courtyard they visited before. This place appears like a garden with low light. Stones adorn the walls with falling plants and there are luxurious couches with ample places to sit. Regina doesn't feel alert this time` but instead a bit drowsy. Hades stands across the way dressed in a black suit of sorts. What he wears is not of this time. He looks incredibly elegant and is accompanied by a woman. She is a beautiful black woman dressed like the others, also half naked, walking towards her; her silky skin glistening in the candlelight. 'Is anyone here unattractive?' She's slightly taller than Regina when she bends forward to whisper, "He's been expecting you my Queen." She leans in and kisses Regina's cheek as her and the others walk away. Regina doesn't have time to react to a stranger being so intimate for she still feels strange and unsteady on her feet. Hades lifts his right hand and it's as if her feet glide her to him, completely outside of her control.

"I am so happy you have joined me." He smiles at her but with torment in his eyes that betray his calm demeanor.

"Did I ever have the choice?" Regina can barely get these words out but she is trying so desperately to regain her senses. She can vaguely make out music somewhere in the distance; a violin she hears.

Hades looks very serious as he stands there so elegantly.

"I have been burning in the flames of time waiting for you." Hades walks around to face Regina. Studying her, looking upon her as if she were the rarest of diamonds.

Regina feels herself grow dim underneath his gaze. She's never encountered a vampire but she imagines their spells being something like this. She wants to fight. She wishes to run but she feels almost drunk and her feet are glued to the ground. Hades circles around her looking at her so lovingly yet passionately with his blue piercing eyes. She feels the wind move around her as his breath reaches her neck. She feels herself fading. Her eyes are heavy as she certainly is about to swoon. But he catches her! With one arm wrapped around her waist. He looks into her eyes, "My darling how long we have waited." He begins to descend his mouth, starving to kiss her but ever so gentlemanly, "Do not deny what you feel my love."

Regina's mind is swirling. Hades, the King of the dead, God of the damned is about to kiss her and she feels powerless to stop him. He's not Robin. She wants to feel guilty at just laying in his arms but a part of her feels so damn good. 'What the hell is happening? Where's Emma?' Her mind can only hope for Emma to stop this; Regina's normally iron-clad will has completely betrayed her and this terrifies her. She's feeling so many emotions and his lips are drawing closer to hers. 'Why can't I stop him? He's going to kiss me! I want to lean into it.'

"Get your hands off of her!" Emma angrily charges Hades. He puts his hand up and Emma stops frozen in her tracks unable to move her arms nor legs.

"But of course you had to bring him!" He shoots daggers at Emma as he speaks to Regina. Emma looks around but Rumple isn't in there.

He turns his full attention to Emma, "Not even here can I rid my existence of you."

Emma looks at this man completely bewildered but ready to take him out with whatever force she can muster because he hasn't let go of Regina. 'And why is she just letting him?' Emma feels her anger rising as the magic creeps into her hands causing a burst of white light that breaks the shield; throwing Hades off his balance causing him to release Regina. He quickly recovers as he leans forward kissing Regina's hand and tells her , "When you are ready Lole, I will come for you."

With that infuriating statement Emma sends another surge of magic at him but he disappears in a cloud of colorless smoke.

Emma angrily runs to a dazed Regina, "What the hell was that? What did you think you were doing?" As she helps her up off the ground.

Regina is barely registering that he has left them. She's happy Emma came but doesn't like the way she is speaking to her. "I don't know." She holds her head as she feels a nasty throbbing headache starting.

"You don't know? You were about to make out with the king of the damned!" Emma is pacing back and forth and giving her such a disapproving gaze. If Regina didn't know any better she would think Emma was jealous.

"I don't know! Ok?" Regina sits holding her head.

"I was under some sort of spell or something. Before I knew it he was on me rambling about waiting for me or I don't know."

Emma stands still and looks at her. Taking a deep breath and calming down, "Did he hurt you?"

Regina huffs incredulously, "No. He didn't. He was seducing me."

Emma begins pacing back and forth again. 'What the fuck is going on here?! He was seducing her? Who does he think he is? How dare that bastard?!' Emma's mind is going almost as quick as her feet.

"Emma stop pacing! You're making my headache worse!" Regina looks around ignoring Emma's temper tantrum. "Where's Rumple?"

Emma is reminded he is no longer with them, "I don't know. The last I saw him, he was with me, looking for you."

"How did you find me?"

"It doesn't matter. It's time to get back to your mo..." Emma stops herself realizing Regina has yet to learn of Persephone's true identity. "We have to get out of here."

"And find Gold now too." Regina feels herself more awake now. She notices that Emma won't look at her.

"Yeah well I'm sure that coward went back to where Cor...Persephone was."

Regina lifts a questioning eyebrow at Emma.

'Shit...she caught that.' Before Emma can pull out the white stone from her pocket a flash of bright light blinds them. When the lights cease Emma finds herself in the middle of a vibrantly green and grassy meadow. The wind is cool and she feels as if there is sunlight hitting her face but she knows that's impossible. She frantically looks around. "Regina! Regina!" But Regina is gone. The price of using her magic...she must have gotten transported to another realm in Tartarus and now she lost Regina!

Emma sees there are people in the distance over a hilltop so she runs towards them. As she draws closer she sees they are dressed in pastel colors and were laughing and playing.

"Excuse me...but where are we?"

A young man turns to her, "These are the Elysian Fields."

'The Elysian Fields? Emma doesn't remember much about Greek mythology but she does remember something about the Elysian Fields being a good place?

"I'm sorry...Are we still in Tartarus?"

"No...not exactly. This is where you go when you are released from Tartarus." He smiles gently at her slightly bemused with her questions. "Where did you come from?"

Emma ignores him, "How do I get back to Tartarus?"

"Get back? No one goes back to that place. Why would you want to go back?"

Emma sighs heavily when it occurs to her that all she has to do is think of Regina! She closes her eyes and focuses on her. Her anger is now overtaken by her worry. 'What's gonna happen if he finds her before I do? But why would she allow him to get so close?!' With that her anger seeps into her thoughts once more.

"You won't get back that way."

"Why not?!" Emma yells at this poor guy. He steps back, away from her.

"Look I'm sorry. I'm desperate. I came here to save someone who cannot be saved and now my friend is in trouble and I need to find her!"

"What's your name?" He asks her. Emma eyes him suspiciously now wondering if she should even be talking to this guy.

"My name is Anthony. And no not Cleopatra's Anthony." He laughs.

Anthony is thin and tall with kind eyes. He looks like a young Morgan Freeman but talks like a sassy version of Whoopi Goldberg. Even though she hasn't sensed a lie Emma is still weary of volunteering her name.

"Well, girl with no name, I'm sorry about your friend. You must care for her an awful lot if you wanna go back into hell to find her.

Emma's eyes tear up feeling the guilt overtake her. 'If it wasn't for me she wouldn't be here!' She thinks to herself.

As if Anthony can read her mind, "Guilt won't help you find her. Neither will anger. I've been here a long time. Well...not here exactly but hell. I just recently arrived to the Elysian Fields you see...but before I died, many moons ago, I was an empath of sorts. Miss, I can't tell you much except that negative emotions only block your mind from finding solutions.

"Easier said than done."

"I hear ya. And I get you. But if I learned one thing from my wretched life it was that we have all the answers, all the potential to unlock our happiness right in our minds; trapped only by our own sabotaging thoughts because we can't let go of the pain. Honey, you need to take a deep breath and forgive this woman for all that she has wronged you."

"But I already did some time ago."

He takes Emma's hand in his and with his deep brown eyes he looks compassionately at her, "Yet you have guilt. You have pain."

"I just lost the man I love."

"Mhm mhm... it's more than that. That loss is not what is blocking you from finding your friend. You gotta fix this honey or else you may not be able to even go back to life."

"How did you know?"

"Oh girl you reek of mortal!"

Emma allows herself to laugh with him for the first time.

"My name is Emma."

"You see that wasn't so hard. Emma...what a beautiful name."

They take a moment to pause when a cool breeze of air passes through them.

"Ah this is so nice. So many years down there in either hot or cold but never just right. Emma, why don't you sit right here on this pretty grass with me. Let's meditate together. I know this is tough especially because you strike me as the type that doesn't like to wait around. But if you wanna find the solution that will take you to her you're gonna have to clear your mind."

"Ok..sure...lets do this." At this point Emma is willing to try anything. She sits Indian style on the grass next to her new companion, Anthony, and focuses on clearing her mind.