Dead Reckoning

Chapter Twenty-Two

"I assumed he'd heard my secret," Hook spoke almost regretfully after Neal walked away from them in the forest of Neverland. "And I also assumed that you'd told him of our shared moment."

"Why would you assume that?" Emma asked in confusion as she looked at the pirate in frustration.

Hook looked at her with a yearning in his eyes as he responded, "Because I was hoping it meant something."

She quickly replied sincerely, "What meant something was that you told us Neal was still alive. Thank you. I realized you could've kept Pan's information to yourself."

"Why would I have done that?" he asked curtly.

"I don't know," the blonde answered hesitantly. "Maybe Pan offered you a deal? Why else would he tell you?"

Disdainfully, though the disdain was geared toward himself, not at the woman standing in front of him, Hook responded, "It was a test. He wanted to see if I'd leave an old friend to die... even if the old friend happens to be vying for the same woman that I am."

Emma looked at him with surprise as she said, "And you chose your friend."

"Does that surprise you?" he asked.

"You are a pirate." Emma replied in a sardonic tone.

Killian felt the shame once again while he looked down for a moment until he raised his head and moved closer to her with a strong confidence as he answered, "Yeah, that I am. But I also believe in good form. So when I win your heart, Emma... and I will win it... it will not be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me."

She looked at like he was joking as she stated, "This is not a contest, Hook."

"Isn't it?" he quickly retorted. "You're gonna have to choose, Emma. You realize that, don't you? Because neither one of us is gonna give up."

"The only thing I have to choose is the best way to get my son back." Emma responded in frustration as she glared at him.

Hook looked deeper into her eyes as he replied assuredly, "And you will."

She quickly asked, "You think so?"

"I have yet to see you fail," Killian finally said and then smiled smugly. "And when you do succeed... well, that's when the fun begins."

"I don't know how you were so confident of us when we were just barely beginning to get to know one another, especially when you despised the man you used to be so much even then," Emma whispered sadly after she finally broke from her thoughts, then reached down to take his hand in her own and slowly rose from the bed to take a seat in the chair beside her husband again, while she continued to caress his cheek with her other hand. "But I'm so glad you were. You were right, you won my heart. Were it not for your stubbornness or for your willingness to believe in me again after what I did to you up in the giants' castle, we never would have fallen in love. I'm not really sure why it is we only recollect our past memories of how we may have met and moments that are special to us when the people we love get hurt and we're at risk… of losing them. It isn't right."

She gently pulled his hand up to her lips and kissed the top of it before she continued, but when she did so, the Savior watched fearfully while his limb suddenly grew frailer, as it aged slightly and his skin shriveled like Gold said it would. Thankfully, that was where the poison within his body stopped again, but watching as the man she loved slowly begin to wither away in front of her and being unable to do anything to help him frightened the Savior far more than any of the other times Killian's life had ever been at stake.

The Savior never once imagined that his age would be a reason for concern and while she had been forced to kill him in order to save them all from the darkness, this time was somehow different. When he died then, Killian had been the strongest and most valiant she had ever seen her husband even though she saw him as such every day. But now, he was weak because his body was failing him every second that passed by. Emma didn't know how she was going to save him, but she was going to. She was going to find the villain who had done this to him and make him regret crossing her.

Emma gently laid his hand back down against the bed and wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks as she cried, then she stood to leave so she could speak with their family and friends. But as she turned towards the door, Emma saw that the others outside were frozen in place, a cloaked figure was the only one who somehow made his way between them and then entered the room to stand before the Savior, who immediately raised her hands to defend Killian and herself against a potential threat knowing that the brute who had attacked Killian twice already was still at large.

However, the intruder suddenly emitted a bright white light that flooded the entire room causing Emma to have to cover her eyes. When the glow finally faded, she struggled to see again as she looked towards where the being was standing before. Instead of seeing Bishop or any one of his crew like she expected, she saw a clean-shaven man who wore a pure white tunic trimmed with gold fringes, and donned a large armor belt over his lower body, as well as golden gauntlets over his wrists.

Emma finally snapped out of her shock as she raised her hands again and threateningly emitted her own light magic as they glowed brightly while she asked curtly, "Who the hell are you? If you've come to hurt my husband…"

The stranger stopped her as he answered solemnly, "Forgive my entrance and for making you feel alarmed, Emma. I assure you, I mean you and your husband no harm. I just feared that once I announced who I am, you wouldn't believe me without showing you a little of the power I possess. I'm Zeus. Killian and I once met just before I gave him life again, as a reward for helping you and your friends to defeat my brother Hades."

"Hello, Killian," Emma suddenly heard the deity before her say when the King of the Gods reached out and gently touched her temple, as he poured the memory of her husband appearing to him upon Mount Olympus as Killian stepped into the light upon moving on from the Underworld into her mind.

"Who are you?" her husband asked the God as he turned around upon hearing a voice call out to him from behind him and stared at the being through the white light surrounding them with suspicion. "What do you want?"

He simply smiled kindly and then responded sincerely, "I want to thank you. Because of you, something very important has been done. Those above have finally destroyed the misguided God of Death… my brother Hades."

Killian suddenly understood who this being was and with surprise, he uttered, "Zeus."

"Indeed," Olympus' ruler replied and slowly walked towards the Captain, then gently laid a hand upon Killian's shoulder. "And I'm here to escort you onward. Are you ready?"

"I am," Emma heard the man she loved answer and saw the sadness in his eyes.

Zeus then pushed her husband forward and walked a few steps with him until the deity stopped and watched as Killian continued onward while he responded, "Then it's time to take you where you belong."

Emma watched as the man she loved walked again towards the light until he paused a moment and turned his head back, but he didn't turn around. Finally, he just continued on and vanished from Zeus' sight. What happened to Killian next, the Savior already knew, as he had been returned to life, returned to her and she couldn't stop the tears that slipped from her eyes.

She quickly wiped them away again when Zeus pulled his hand away as the memory faded and stepped back, then Emma stared at him with the same look of surprise Killian had upon recognizing him as well, until she spoke up again in disbelief saying, "It really is you. But why… how are you here? Please, don't take Killian away. I know we've defied you and the other Gods when we traveled down into the Underworld to bring Killian back. And I know that his brother is doing the same now by fighting with us to save his life again. But Killian belongs here. I've waited my whole life to find someone to save me from being alone and unloved. I didn't believe in true love, or at least that I would ever find it myself, until Killian came into my life and fought for our love even when I didn't. I can't lose him again."

"Worry not, Emma," the King of the Gods replied quietly. "I haven't come here to take Killian back with me or to help him to move on. Nor have I come to punish Liam for only wanting to protect his brother. I was hoping you and I would one day have a chance to talk. I know you wish that I use my power to heal your husband and restore him as I did before. Sadly, I fear I cannot. The evil that is slowly killing him now is even beyond my own power. No one knows the true origin of Neverland, nor of the island's dark power. But trust in the love the two of you share and in the strength of those who love you. Believe there is a way to save him out there. I don't doubt that together you will find it."

"However… you must know that if you should fail, if Killian does die once more, I cannot interfere again," Zeus continued more somberly. "The other Gods weren't so happy that I did so before. Not all of them, but most. My brother Poseidon sided with me. After all that your husband did to reunite him with his daughter Ursula, he was most grateful and believed Killian deserved a chance at a new life with you. And both of you, as well as your parents, helped my own son Hercules, as well as his new wife Megara to move on from the Underworld for which I too am grateful. But we aren't meant to interfere in human affairs no matter what choices you all make or how much we love one individual. We are simply meant to observe. What comes of you is of your own making. The reason I gave in and chose to reward Killian before… is because all of you did what even we couldn't. Especially you and Killian. You saved our children and then defeated Hades, but not before you tried to save his own soul until he left you no choice except to destroy him."

Emma shook her head as she quietly responded, "We only did what was right to protect those we love and to protect the outside world from Hades' wrath."

The deity nodded and then smiled again as he replied, "The strength and love I see in you, Emma, is rare. Even for the Saviors who've come before you. And Killian… He did… after two hundred years of hate, anguish, and misery, what few people within all the realms have been able to do in one lifetime. While individually the two of you are as I've said, together you're even stronger. I admire you both very much. So, don't give up hope. Fight for him as you've always done. I don't doubt he'll keep fighting to live."

"For someone who isn't supposed to interfere, you're certainly not doing very well at refraining from doing so," the Savior light-heartedly retorted, then sensed Zeus wasn't telling her the whole truth. "I'm honored you think so highly of us, but why did you really come here? It can't really be that you've left your cloud up in Mount Olympus just to say thank you."

"You're right," he answered more gravely. "In truth, I've come in order to offer you a word of warning. I'm afraid I'm not the only God who's come down from Mount Olympus to interfere and he doesn't think of you as my brother and I do. Zagreus is Hades' son. He's come down to help the villain who's done this to your husband succeed. And like Hades, he won't stop. Without the Olympian Crystal, you won't be able to defeat him as you did Hades. But perhaps you can find a way to imprison him when he makes himself known. I promise you, he will soon. Be careful, Emma. And I truly hope that you can save Killian for both your sakes."

Before Emma could stop him, a bright light suddenly engulfed the room again and when it faded, the King of the Gods was gone. She immediately glanced towards her family and friends and saw that they were moving and talking amongst each other like they were before Zeus appeared. However, she turned back to Killian when she heard him suddenly call out her name faintly while he tried to sit up and pull away the tube under his nose and along his lower face.

She rushed to his side and carefully pulled away his hand to take it into her own before he could pull the tube out as she stated, "It's all right… You're alright. Just relax and let the doctor's ministrations help you."

The Savior tenderly laid her hand against the side of his face to try to calm him as he struggled against the blindness keeping him from being able to see her and when he felt her soft touch while he heard her voice, Killian finally calmed down, then her husband responded weakly, "Emma… you're safe? Are y… you hurt? I… can't see."

"I'm fine, Killian," Emma quietly replied, then she leaned down to kiss his forehead in order to reassure him she meant what she was telling him and tenderly continued to caress his cheek while continuing to hold his hand. "I wasn't hurt. I promise. I'm just really worried about you. Oh, Killian… I'm so sorry I couldn't stop them. We should have gone after the pirates who did this to you right after they tried to kill you the first time. If we had, you wouldn't be lying here now."

"I'm… guessing your pow… powers can't fix whatever's… happening to me?" he questioned worryingly. "Otherwise… I wouldn't be… here in the hos… pital."

The Savior looked away from him out of guilt as she lied in order to protect him from worrying more than he already was when she answered softly, "We don't know much of anything right now. But everyone's working on finding out how to help you. Did your assailant say anything to you when he attacked you? Do you know why, or who he was?"

Her husband burrowed his head deeper into the pillows beneath him and then closed his eyes as he responded, "Bishop. I told you I made… a deal with Pan to… to leave Neverland. He had me fight one of the Los… Lost Boys in a duel when he tried to start an up… uprising against Pan. I won. But barely. I was given pass… age… off the island. He was banished. Bishop was a boy then, but… he was still… a brute. After thirty or so years… he still holds… a grudge. And he's even bigger. I'm not sure how… how he found me. Or how he got hold of this kind... of power…"

"That's enough," the woman who loved him finally cut him off to keep him from overexerting himself any longer. "You need to try to save your strength. Try to sleep. I promise you, you're going to be alright, Killian."

"I know," he whispered as he slowly began to drift off into sleep, even before Emma suggested he do so. "I love… love you, Emma."

The Savior leaned down over him and tenderly kissed him, then she replied quietly, "I love you too. I'm so happy that you kept your word to me when you once told me you would win my heart. You never gave up on me. I won't give up on you either. Especially now. For once, I need you to understand it's okay to take care of yourself and stop being so self-sacrificing. You have nothing more to prove to anyone. We all see you as a hero and I know you know this, but you still struggle with believing it. Someday, we will grow old. However, it's going to be together. No dark magic or revenge seeking pirates are going to destroy our happy endings."

Killian answered, "I believe you."

Once Emma knew her husband was asleep again and resting more comfortably, she slowly rose to her feet and walked out of the room so she could speak with the others about Zeus and of his warning. If they had discussed any plans, whether it was about the intruders or Neverland, it'll all have to change.