Killian's Inferno

Chapter Twenty-Five

Happy was staring up at the night sky above them observing the stars, while Grumpy was pacing back and forth in frustration outside of Regina's vault, but when he could no longer take the silence, Leroy asked impatiently, "Happy, what the heck are you doing? You're supposed to be helping me guard the vault, not spying on the stars. Nothing's happening up there."

Happy looked back at his brother and answered, "Yes, but nothing is happening down here, either. Unlike you, I try to see the joy in everything we do, which is why I'm not the one acting like a nervous, grumpy wreck right now. The stars are quite beautiful tonight, don't you think?"

"I don't care about the star…" the other dwarf started to reply until he cut himself off upon seeing movement walking from out of the woods in the distance, then raised the flashlight he was holding to try to get a glimpse at the unexpected visitors coming toward them in case of trouble. "It's them. They're back! Happy, run into town and tell everybody, they're all back from the Underworld!"

"Grumpy!" Snow called out happily upon seeing the face of a very dear friend as she ran on ahead of the rest of her family to embrace the small man. "Oh, it is so good to see you!"

Leroy nodded and responded, "It's good to see you too, sister. Are you all alright? Did you…?"

Emma simply rushed past the dwarf and her mother without a word to their friend, the look of anger and weariness evident on her face, which he could see clearly and was about to say something again when David walked up as he said, "Don't take it personally, Leroy. She had it rough down there. We all have, but our daughter even more so."

"Yeah, but did you find him?" the dwarf asked again as he followed the Charmings, as well as Regina and Robin down into the vault where Mother Superior and Tinker Bell were still with Hook's body. "Hook I mean. Did you save him? Where is he?"

"Emma, Mary Margaret, David!" Tink exclaimed happily as the newly returned expedition entered the room as the Savior immediately went to Hook's crypt and reached down to touch his cold face, then noticed the stab wound upon his open chest, as well as the large branding with Hades' name etched into his right arm over where his tattoo once was, just as she had seen the torment on his soul.

"What the hell is this?" Emma asked fearfully as she gently lifted his upper body up to get a closer look at his back and found hundreds of angry, bloody lashes hidden beneath the loose shirt he was wearing before he died. "How is this possible?"

The Blue Fairy stepped closer to the woman in love with the pirate as she gently placed a hand on Emma's shoulder and answered, "Truthfully, we have no clue. We were hoping you might be able to tell us once you returned. Tinker Bell and I have been here with his body ever since this brand appeared, hoping to be able to heal him, but so far, we haven't had any luck in doing so. There were dark, ugly striations from dreamshade poisoning that appeared earlier all over his body, although those disappeared when the stab wound in his chest appeared."

Tinker Bell quickly asked, "Were you successful? I mean, were you able to bring his soul back with you?"

"Yes, but I… we can't… Regina?" Emma stated worryingly as she turned to look over at the Queen as she stepped forward, apparently being able to read what the blonde woman was about to ask her.

"I've called Dr. Whale and asked him to prepare a private room in the clinic for the Captain," she replied quickly. "He'll be able to stitch up the wounds that you won't be able to heal yourself, if you can't. That includes the wounds made from Excalibur. The sword's magic already took its course when he died, so they should no longer be of concern, except for the pain he'll feel… Emma, you should know that once we return his soul back into his body and then give him his half of your heart to revive him, if it works like we're all hoping that it will, Killian is still going to have a long road of recovery ahead of him, both physically and emotionally."

David took his daughter's hand in his own, then continued for Regina as he spoke up saying, "She's right. After all that he was forced to endure down there, no one could come back from that kind of hell and be okay right away."

Emma clenched her jaw as she looked between everyone observing at her, then turned her eyes back upon Hook's body as a tear escaped her eye and responded sadly, "I know. I do. I just suppose I should be grateful that his entire body isn't burned after…"

"It's like I told you before, Emma," Mary Margaret answered as her daughter fell off upon remembering his screams from when Hades set his soul on fire before them. "What the two of you share, your true love, it will bring him back to you. This will work and you'll be with him every moment that he needs you to be. You will both get through this, together. I know it."

"Thank you, Mom," she whispered as Snow pulled her close while both David and Robin carefully lifted Hook's body from out of the crypt so that they could carry him to Whale's clinic, rather than wait for the man to send the paramedics to them with a gurney.

A few hours later, everyone was once again standing around Hook's body while gathered around the private room the doctor had prepared for the pirate, with a bit of an incentive from Regina when she had reminded him of a secret only she knew about his dark past, given that he was once Dr. Frankenstein.

Before Whale could say anything about the surgery, August came running into the room toward Emma as he called out, "Emma! Thank God you're all back and okay! I came as soon as I heard."

She simply nodded, then turned back to the doctor so he could begin as he said, "I have to admit that this was probably the finest work that I've ever performed, especially on a dead man… I'm sorry, Miss. Swan. I don't mean to sound so crass. Autopsies, are not particularly something I'm all that comfortable with, but seeing as I am doing this so we can bring the pirate back to life…"

"Enough praise for your fine work, Dr. Whale," Regina interrupted impatiently as the two shared a cold look, ignoring everyone else's confusion around them. "Tell us what it is you've done."

"Okay, well first of all, I stitched up the wounds in his chest, back, and along his neck from the fancy sword I've heard tales about, as well as the smaller stab wound in his chest from a different weapon very near where Miss. Swan thrust the sword through," he continued curtly. "I also had a lot of stitching work to do to close the deeper lacerations across his back from the whip lashes, which I don't… never mind. What I don't understand doesn't matter. He will have plenty more scars on him than just the one on his face and his missing limb. The burn on his arm has been dressed and treated and I'm prepared with the proper equipment and medications to help keep him alive, no matter what condition he comes back in. I promise you, I did the best I could do under the circumstances. Believe me though, bringing a person back from the dead is a bad idea."

Emma looked at him as she replied coldly, "I didn't ask you for your opinion. What happened to Hook was unfair and if you knew anything about the kind of hell he was suffering from, you would understand why I have do this. Are you done?"

The doctor nodded and responded, "I am, but you might be doing more harm to him than good. I'm just saying."

"You will leave," Regina retorted as she shoved Whale out the door. "Because if you try to object to this again, I will tell everyone your secret of who you really are. Is that understood, doctor?"

"What was that about?" Robin asked after the man left the room, confused about the tension that was clearly between him and the woman he loved. "Is that man a problem, Regina?"

She shook her head as she answered, "No, Dr. Whale is a snake and a vile human being, but he's not a problem anymore."

Mary Margaret looked at her skeptically as she asked, "What secret were you talking about? Who is he really?"

"I'm afraid that that's something I promised him would remain between us," Regina replied in frustration as she moved to stand directly in front of Emma. "Are we ready to do this then?"

"I'm ready," the Savior responded when she placed her hand firmly on the Queen's shoulder and planted her feet on the floor so that when she pulled the heart from her chest, she hopefully wouldn't collapse. "Do it."

Regina nodded and put her hand up to do what needed to be done until she paused a moment and stated, "I have to warn you. It's as I told your mother when I did this to her to save Charming, this is going to hurt."

Emma looked at her sadly as she answered, "It can't possibly hurt worse than I already feel. If I can't have Killian in my life, if this doesn't work like I pray that it does, then I would rather be dead. Surely you would do the same if you could for Robin, or would have done it for Daniel if you could have."

"You're right," the older woman replied sincerely, then suddenly thrust her hand into Emma's chest and gripped her heart tightly before finally pulling it out as the blonde gasped in pain while David immediately walked up behind his daughter to steady her. "Emma, are you alright?"

"Yeah… yeah, I think so," she responded weakly as she backed away and went over to stand over Hook's body now lying on the bed before her, then took his hand tenderly within her own. "Finish it. Break my heart in half and help me save him."

Regina concentrated attentively on doing what needed to be done while Henry spoke up asking, "Mom told me about Cora trying to rip out her heart once back in the Enchanted Forest when they first met. She couldn't do it, but you can, did. How?"

Mary Margaret answered for the woman, "I believe that's because what Cora had was dark magic. Regina may once have had that kind of magic too, but she has far more light magic in her now. That's why she's able to help Emma."

"Duh, I should have known that," the young man said again and then looked over at his birth mother as Regina gently handed the Savior both halves of the precious organ.

Emma swiftly shoved one piece back within her own chest, then nervously did the same for Killian, placing one hand over his as she had once done back when Gold had taken his heart from him not too long ago, then used her other hand to push his half inside again. When she was finished, she reached over to pull his ring from off her finger while still keeping her hand over his chest. However, before she could use her power to release his soul from the vessel, the ring was suddenly snatched from her by an invisible force as it propelled right into the clutches of Mr. Gold, who was standing in the doorway of the room looking smug.

"You!" Emma cried in as much surprise as anger as she immediately stood from her position over Hook and stared at the monster they all thought that they left behind in the Underworld. "What are you…? Give his ring back!"

Gold looked down at the trinket in his hand, then back at the Savior, as well as the others, and replied, "I'm afraid I won't do that, Miss. Swan. Not this time. I can't let you bring back the man who has been my greatest enemy for far longer than any of the rest of you have been alive, not when I've finally rid myself of him for good. You see, I knew very well what was going to happen that night. I knew Hook would go soft in the end. I was… am the Dark One after all."

Mary Margaret looked at him with disappointment as she responded, "Why? Why can't you just let your hate for him go? He did! Hook is not a threat to you anymore. He is not that man he was when he first came here."

"For crying out loud, Gold," David continued as he continued speaking for his wife. "He has helped us all to save you, even gave his life for you too, every bit as much as he did for the rest of us. Emma took the darkness into herself to keep your heart from blackening fully. She saved your life too. You owe them!"

"And I fulfilled my bargain, dearies," the Dark One answered cruelly. "You wanted my help to get down to the Underworld so you could bring Hook back, and you did. You all needed a distraction long enough to break him free of the shackles that bound him and I made that happen for you. I was the one who bound Hades to the wall within his own set of chains. You got out with the Captain in tow. And you also helped to get me out as well. When you pulled Hook's soul into his ring, I hitched a ride. I wasn't a part of the deal you struck with Hades. I would have been trapped had I not found another way back, and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do this. You should be thanking me. At least your precious pirate is no longer going to have to suffer the eternal torment that he deserves. Instead, his soul will just be trapped here, inside his ring for the rest of my life, which in this case, is forever."

Emma staggered forward while she raised her hands as she said viciously, "You will not take Killian from me again. Not when we're this close, not after everything we all went through to get him back! I won't let you!"

The monster raised the ring for them to see as he replied, "Ah... ah… ah! I wouldn't try using your magic on me, Savior. Because if you try it, I will send this ring to another realm where you will never find it, or worse… I will destroy it and him along with it. You threatened to expose my secret to Belle and I warned you what would happen if you tested me. These are the consequences."

"You're wrong," another voice sounded from behind him as he spun around to find Belle, standing there with Pandora's Box inside her hand. "You will give Emma that ring and you will hand over the real dagger that is once again tethered to you. Because if you don't, I will trap you back inside this box, just as you threatened to keep Hook."

"Belle," Rumpelstiltskin pleaded fearfully as he slowly began to back away from her until August, David, and Robin all moved in his way to keep him in place, then showed the woman he loved and the others in the room the marque upon the palm of his hand. "Please, don't do this to me. I cannot use magic anymore, the way I used to. I was branded down there myself, by Pan. I cannot use my magic, without feeling an immense amount of pain. If you want me to, I will try to be the man you love again. And I do love you, Belle. So much more than you will ever know. We were finally going to be together again."

Tears poured down her face as she responded, "We would have, if you had not become this monster again after everything. You were finally free of the darkness and yet you chose power over me as you've always done. I did love you, Rumple. Even after my heart told me that I shouldn't have. I fell for your lies, again. And now you will pay for your own sins. Give them back the ring and me the dagger, now!"

He looked at her sadly as he shook his head and answered, "I can't. I'm so sorry."

"Then I am too," Belle replied as she immediately opened the box that began to pull the Dark One inside when he attempted to get away in a puff of smoke. "This will keep you from hurting anyone again, until I find you a more suitable prison!"

"Belle!" Gold screamed as Pandora's Box finished its magic by entrapping the most powerful magic within the room inside of it, leaving behind only the ring he was holding as it slipped from his hand and into Emma's as she reached out to catch it.

Everyone looked over at the woman who just saved them at the cost of her own happiness as Mary Margaret attempted to step forward to comfort her until Belle backed away and responded, "Don't. I need time to think. I hope whatever you're doing to bring Killian back works, but I can't stay or be around anyone right now. Take the box and keep it safe. We'll talk later."

As she left, Emma swiftly turned back to Hook and placed his ring between her hand and his own, then summoned his soul back into his body as she held her other hand over his cheek and waited, pleading with him to come back to her. It was when her hope was beginning to fade, believing that she had lost him for good, that he suddenly gasped and breathed in air. However, when he finally managed to open his eyes and tried to look at the woman holding him, Killian weakly pulled away from her and stared at her in fear before losing consciousness once more.