Hook… I Will Always Find You
Chapter Twenty-Four
Emma and the rest of those with her raced after Killian's hook still flying in the air ahead of them, as the precious metal continued to lead them through town past the few onlookers outside of their shops who stood frozen as they watched the heroes run down the street chasing after a magical object. So far, the Savior's plan seemed to be working for which she was grateful and yet still afraid that at any moment Hades would appear despite Graham's distraction she knew was also going on then as well, as she was finally so close to finding the man she loved.
They followed the hook down another street outside of town until at last it finally stopped a moment as it hovered once again before them and the Savior stared up at the house it stopped in front of in surprise when she strangely recognized it to be the same house which Killian had picked out for her in hope of asking Emma to move in with him.
"Emma… what is it?" her father then asked her in worry. "Is there something wrong?"
"No," she responded quietly as she pulled the paper Hades had given her with Killian's handwriting over the advertisement for this house and held it out for him and their friends to see why she was so taken aback by where Killian's hook had brought them to. "It's just… Killian was going to ask me to move in here with him. Before the darkness took him away from us. He must have bought this place to settle into it beforehand so he could. Hades gave me this paper to taunt me. I'm surprised this is where his hook led us. I just don't understand. I might have screwed up."
However, Regina and Robin walked up behind the rest of their friends again after she had transported herself and the archer back to them, while the Queen spoke up saying, "Don't undermine yourself or your power within you, Emma. That's how you'll fail to save Hook. Trust your instinct. What is it telling you?"
The Savior took a moment to listen to her senses and after she had done so, she despondently answered, "This is the right way. I can feel it."
"Let's keep going then," David replied and walked up the steps leading up to the house as everyone else followed after him.
He paused a second to carefully touch the door knob in order to test whether or not there was some kind of magic cast over the doorway to prevent them from entering inside and was grateful to find that the door opened without any trouble. Then David stepped aside to allow his daughter to walk in first so he and the others could follow her lead.
"Well… Killian certainly has great taste," Tinker Bell said sounding impressed when the heroes all stopped again as they stood between the house's living room and the kitchen to look around them for the right way to continue on. "This house is beautiful."
Emma nodded, then whispered, "Yes it is."
She then turned back to the door in front of her which she assumed led down into the basement of the house and walked towards it when Killian's hook hovered there. However, as she carefully reached out to touch its handle as her father had done with the front door, Emma was suddenly repelled by a powerful discharge of magic and she immediately pulled her hand away while she stepped back.
She cursed upon feeling the shock as David quickly asked if she was alright, again to which she simply nodded and then Regina walked forward to stand beside her friend while she stated, "This has to be the right path. Hades must have cast a spell over the areas within Underbrooke where he doesn't want us going."
"There has to be a way past his securities," August responded while he looked around them for any possible way that might help them.
"There are… so long as one of the souls who is trapped down here is among you," a voice answered from behind them when all of a sudden, no more than an image of the Apprentice's face appeared before them in an effort to help the heroes who had come to save their friend and to defeat the villain who ruled the Underworld. "And I see that you do."
Everyone stared in surprise at their old friend, who had died just before Hook had, and Emma asked, "What do you mean… so long as we have one of the souls here with us? Can Liam help us get past the magic Hades put in place to keep us from Killian?"
The Apprentice looked over at the older Jones, who only stared back at the mirage before them as well, then the old man replied, "All you must do is take his hand and his aura will extend around you as well so that any living souls can pass. However, you must be careful and use as little magic as you must. You're about to enter one of the most treacherous domains here within the Underworld and Hades may sense your magic should you use it for too much. I must go. I'm afraid this is all I am able to do to help you. I hope you can find Hook and succeed in saving him from his dark fate."
"Thank you," Emma quickly called out to him until his face suddenly vanished from before them once again.
"We have to keep going," she then uttered again as she looked over at Liam, who nodded and reached out to take her hand in his own, then took Regina's as well while the two women reached out with their free hands for the others to follow their lead as they all also took a hand so that Liam's aura would extend around each of them just as the Apprentice told them it would.
Liam momentarily let go of Regina's hand and reached out to touch the door handle. This time no shock came, so he opened the door and slowly led them through the entryway and down the stairs leading them down into the depths of the Underworld. They continued to follow after Killian's hook as they made their way through the first tunnel before them and stepped out into a wide open cavern where several more tunnels extended off from the room. The hook continued to lead them on ahead in the right direction towards the cavern where Killian was being held captive.
The heroes cautiously walked through a narrow tunnel, before the depths of the realm they were all trapped in opened up into a cavern that was far bigger than the one they first passed through. Ahead of them, there was another passageway beneath an arch, where above was a dreaded warning to all the souls who ever entered through there. Abandon all hope ye who enter here. The warning sent chills up and down Emma's spine, as it did to most of the others with her as well.
Unfortunately, between them and the passageway, was the River of Lost Souls where several of the souls the God of the Underworld possessed whom he had punished to the worst kind of fate any soul good or bad should have to suffer. And there wasn't a boat for them to cross the green river with, so magic was going to be needed for them to get to the other side.
Liam spoke warily as he looked out over the river saying, "I may have been able to get you through Hades' barriers thus far, but we can't get across this river without a vessel to carry us across."
Emma reached out to take Killian's hook once more and clutched it tightly against her chest while she stared ahead of her at the warning above the entry way and into the darkness within the passageway beneath it, then she tucked the hook back into her jacket as she desperately responded, "This is it. He's close. Killian's down there. I can feel it. I feel him."
"Tink… is there anything you might be able to do to help us get across the river?" David asked the Green Fairy as she stood close beside him and turned her head so she could look into his eyes. "The Apprentice may have warned us against using magic unless we had to, but I don't see another option."
"I might be able to help you all to fly across, but I can sense that my power is weakened here," she answered softly while she struggled to ignite even a spark of her magic through the tips of her fingers. "The further down we've travelled, the weaker it's become."
Regina attempted to conjure her own power within the palm of her hand, then upon discovering it was the same for her, she replied, "It's true. All of our powers have severely been diminished. The warning above that arch is certainly no joke."
Tinker Bell finally felt a surge of magic after she concentrated fully on trying to summon as much power within her as she could and then said again, "I can get us across, but my magic won't last long and getting back… I'm not sure if it will be possible."
"You can leave that to me," Regina responded assuredly. "I can figure something out once you get Hook out of there. I'll stay here and work on a way to get you across. Robin and a few others can stay with me, so all of us won't require Tinker Bell's magic. But we need to hurry. I doubt our presence here won't have gone unnoticed by whatever securities Hades has here. He may be distracted at the moment, but who knows how long it'll last."
"Tink… it's time," Emma stated to her friend urgently as she faced her. "Are we supposed to think happy thoughts in order to fly?"
The fairy smiled as she answered, "It certainly wouldn't hurt, but unlike what it says in all the books about us fairies and what's shown in the movies, it isn't required."
She then transformed herself back into her fairy form and flew up until she hovered above her friends' heads, raised her hand to her lips, and blew out as fairy dust spread over Emma, David, Liam, and August who rose up from the ground as they began to fly. The Savior nodded at Regina, then led the way once more as she and the others flew across the river until they landed safely upon the rock surface on the other side where a stairwell led up to the entryway of the final tunnel beneath the dark warning, and they swiftly ran inside, leaving Regina, Robin, Smee, and Leroy behind.
Emma ran ahead of the others down the dark passageway until the end finally appeared before her and she immediately quickened her pace. But upon arriving within the cavern she'd seen within the crystal ball shown to her by Hades, she froze when the rock path beneath her feet suddenly ended where the River of Lost Souls continued to flow below.
However, she immediately looked ahead of her in horror when her eyes at last truly fell on the man she loved, as Killian hung down over the rounded platform above the river from a heavy, rusted old chain wrapped tightly around his body, which suddenly lowered him another drop with a booming squeal of the gears working to do so.
David ran out from the tunnel and remained behind her along with the others just as Emma fearfully screamed, "Killian!"
"Be careful," David firmly warned his daughter when she looked around for a way across to the platform and quickly started to walk across one of the narrow beams that led to the platform without hesitation, just as the chain lowered Killian again another drop. "God… there's not much time left."
"Hang on!" Emma shouted out to Killian even though it was clear to her and the others that he wasn't conscious to know they were even there for him. "I'm coming for you!"
Emma continued to cross uneasily, breathing heavily as she concentrated on remaining as balanced as she could, until she suddenly stumbled and almost fell. It was then that David quickly stepped out onto the beam as well to follow his daughter so he'd be able to help her save Killian once they reached him, while Tinker Bell flew out between her friends to be ready to catch them should either of them fall, her fairy dust she had spread over them having already worn off.
Liam started to walk towards the beam to join them, but August laid his hand over the older Jones' shoulder and held him back knowing that right then he would only be a hindrance to the others until they came back should the beam and the platform across from them not be sturdy enough to hold them all up.
The Savior was able to regain her balance and she kept moving forward until at last she finally reached the platform, then just as Killian was about to fall into the water barely beneath his feet, Emma swiftly grabbed ahold of him and struggled to pull him back from within the opening in the platform. Thankfully, her father wasn't far behind her and David joined her in pulling Killian to safety, then gently laid him down against the metal beneath them. The Green Fairy hovered above them as she looked down on her friends with worry.
Emma noticed his ring she had magically sent back to him now resting over his chest from the chain around his neck, then gently lifted Killian's upper body up against her and held him close as she began to cry, until she whispered softly, "I've got you. I'm here, Killian. We all are."
David laid his hand down on her shoulder and then uttered quietly, "We need to get out of here. Let's get this chain off of him."
The two of them worked together to unravel the chain from around the God's prisoner and finally Hook was freed, then both Emma and David pulled the unconscious and seriously wounded man between them as they rose back to their feet. Tink conjured up just enough of her magic to disperse fairy dust over their heads and they flew with Killian back to the others who were patiently waiting for them on the cliff's ledge. Liam took David's place at his brother's side as he carefully wrapped Killian's left arm across his shoulders and Emma did the same with his right arm despite the chains and shackles he still wore, while everyone returned through the tunnel again to rejoin the rest of their friends waiting for them on the other side.
True to her word, Regina thankfully found a way to get her friends back across the green river, so when they reappeared at the entrance and made their way down the steps to the landing where they had crossed to, they discovered a bridge across forged from thick purple smoke as the Queen struggled to keep her magic together while she kept her hands and arms raised out in front of her to do so.
"She won't be able to hold it long, so you've got to hurry!" Robin shouted out to their friends across the river, who then trusted Regina enough to cross.
The moment the others had safely joined with them again on the right side, Regina almost collapsed to the ground as her magic faded, yet Robin immediately caught her in his arms while Smee and Grumpy quickly grabbed their friends by their arms to keep them from falling back into the river once the smoke dispersed with their final steps onto the edge.
"Thank you, Regina," the Savior said to her with sincerity when the two women locked eyes on one another once the dark haired woman was able to regain her strength and stood upright again.
"You have Henry to thank for that little trick," the Queen replied while she smiled at her friend. "We watched Mary Poppins a few times while he was growing up. He loved the chimneysweeps dancing on the rooftops and seeing the kid in that movie get soot blown into his face when he stuck his head into the chimney… well, it doesn't really matter. You've found your pirate. Let's get out of here."
Together, everyone made their way once again through the narrow tunnel as fast as they were able to with their injured friend safely among them until at last they arrived outside of the caves below and finally found themselves somewhere within the middle of the woods, having taken a different path out instead of returning to the house Killian had bought for him and Emma.
Liam motioned for David to take over holding his brother up for him and pulled away from them once the Prince took his place, then the older Jones spoke again saying, "If you'll follow me, I can lead us to someplace Hades won't ever suspect us to go. Anywhere you can think of to take us back in town, he'll find us there if he comes looking."
While the others looked around them as they took a few moments to think on it, Grumpy was the first one to respond, "I almost hate to agree with Jones here, but his idea isn't actually a bad one this time. Nor was the one to go to the rebels for help. We found Graham, whose distraction must have worked seeing as we're not all dead and Hades never showed up."
Emma looked over at Killian the best she could as she continued holding him against her with her father's help, then turned back to Liam and answered, "You're right. Lead the way. We will follow you."
Together, everyone continued to make their way through the woods until they reached Underbrooke's replica of the toll bridge, where everyone among them was surprised to run into Graham and the witch who fought with the hunter against Hades so they could succeed in rescuing Killian just as they've done.
"Graham…" the Savior uttered quietly, yet with a smile on her face upon seeing him again since the terrible night he had died in her arms as they were about to share a kiss.
"It's really good to see you all again," the Huntsman stated sincerely while he looked around at each of his friends, until his eyes darkened upon seeing the pain inflicted upon their friend they had come to save and whom he had yet to meet. "My God… I'm so sorry. Do you know of a place where you can care for him yet?"
Regina shamefully kept her gaze away from the man she had killed years ago for the time being until the time was right for her to approach him so she could apologize, while David looked at his old friend as he replied, "We do. Liam knows somewhere we hope Hades won't think to look for us, at least for awhile. But we should save our greetings and everything else until we're not out here in the open and so exposed."
Graham nodded in agreement and then took his place among his friends along with Lila as well, then everyone continued to follow after Liam deeper into the woods. They walked for what felt like hours to them the heavier Killian became between Emma and David while they continued to hold him, when in truth their walk was no more than twenty minutes.
At last, they came upon a cottage within a small clearing where a brook of fresh clear water flowed behind it, reminding Grumpy a little of his old home where he had lived with his six brothers and Snow White, all whom he missed very much the longer he was away from them all and stuck within the Underworld.
Asking what was on everyone's minds, Regina questioned, "Who lives here?"
"Someone who can help us," Liam responded. "Although… I should tell you, being here won't be so easy on my brother once he comes around."
"Nothing's going to be easy for him," Tinker Bell answered sadly.
Liam shook his head as they approached the front door and he replied, "No… of course not. It's just… well, you might understand better once you meet her."
The older Jones turned to the door and knocked twice while everyone else waited nervously behind him, until an older, yet beautiful woman with long, raven black hair and deep blue eyes appeared before them as she cautiously opened up her door and looked around at the faces before her, then Liam uttered quietly, "Hello, Mother."