Dead Reckoning

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Within the Enchanted Forest…

The Evil Queen, though evil no longer, was helped down from her carriage by one of her guards, then she walked into the great hall within her castle she took over from the woman she was born from. Regina expected to find her fiancé back from his hunt. However, when she entered, she found someone she didn't expect to see again so soon, or at all without at least a formal invitation.

"There you are," Regina stated as she quickly stood up when the Queen arrived. "I've been waiting here nearly twenty minutes for you."

"Regina… please tell me you heroes didn't get yourselves trapped here in my realm again?" her doppelganger questioned as she sauntered over to her other self with her hands firmly on her hips. "To what do I owe yet another unexpected visit?"

The Queen of Storybrooke normally would have made a witty remark, but instead she responded somberly, "I wish that's all this was. I'm afraid I'm here to ask you and Robin to come back with me to Storybrooke, to help us fight against an angry God and an army of ghosts he's planning to raise from the Underworld."

Regina's other self scoffed as she retorted, "Is that all?"

"I'm sorry, I don't have time to sugarcoat it," Regina replied worryingly. "Is Robin even here?"

"I am now," the archer answered for himself while he entered the room and then took a moment to kiss the woman he loved before turning to her lookalike. "What's this about coming back with you to fight ghosts?

Regina looked between Robin and the Evil Queen strangely as she questioned, "Are the two of you… in love?"

The doppelganger stepped away from her fiancé and towards her other self as she responded with a little concern, "We're actually engaged. We were going to tell you, when the time was right. We even wanted to invite you to the wedding, but we didn't want to hurt you."

"We hope you can forgive us and understand…" Robin continued worryingly until Regina cut him off.

"You don't have to apologize," she replied sincerely. "I'm happy for you both, truly. In fact, I kind of expected it when I sent Her Majesty on her path to her own happy ending."

Regina's other self smiled as she answered, "Thank you. Now, how did you all get yourselves into a fight with another God?"

The original Regina sighed in frustration and then responded, "He's Hades' son looking for revenge against all of us for his father's death. The rest is a long story."

"The fact that Hades' son is the villain… that's enough," her doppelganger replied sternly. "You can count me in. For what Hades did to… well to the other Robin, to us, and to our sister."

"I'm in too," the archer added as he took his fiancé's hand in his own. "No evil God or an army of ghosts can scare me."

In Storybrooke…

After Emma finished explaining to Killian what was happening, not only to him, but with Zagreus and his plans for vengeance, her husband spoke despondently saying, "So… my age has come back to haunt me. A part of me always feared it might. Tell me, am I still ruggedly handsome?"

Before she could answer, more strands of his black hair turned white, then Killian suddenly gasped painfully as his face and body began to shrivel and age just as his hand had done earlier, while the green striations continued to spread beyond his chest. Despite the frailty within his hand, Emma felt his grip tighten as he struggled through his anguish, closing his eyes against the pain washing over him. Tears came to her eyes, but so long as Killian remained awake, she refused to allow them to fall even if he couldn't see her crying.

When he finally stilled, the woman who loved him gently laid her hand over his left cheek, then leaned down so that their faces were almost touching and whispered tenderly, "You will always be ruggedly handsome to me, young or old. One day we'll get there, Killian. But it won't be today, I promise. Please, just hold on."

"I swore… swore… I'd nev… never leave you… again," Killian answered weakly as he struggled to breathe.

"You're far stronger than you know," Emma responded when she laid her head down on his right shoulder as she continued to caress his cheek and thought back to the last time he had told her this.

On the eve of their engagement…

Despite him being in pain from what he knew was likely a few cracked and broken ribs after the beating he received from the Lost Boys in Neverland, Killian's only thought as he looked into the face of the woman he loved after all the time they had been forced apart in separate realms was remorse, as he spoke up in worry saying, "I'm sorry, Emma. I should have told you what I did to your grandfather all those years ago, and I should never, never have even considered running away."

Emma placed her hand gently over his chest as she kept her eyes on his and genuinely replied, "It's okay. I didn't exactly make it easy for you to tell me the truth. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

"No," he quickly retorted and winced while he struggled to pull out the engagement ring he kept close to his heart within the inside pocket of his leather jacket, then held it up for Emma to see again like he had done before. "No. There's something I have to do before I get pushed into another portal. And this time… I'm gonna do it the right way."

His love for her radiated in his eyes while they continued to look at one another as he continued, "Swan… and I know… that you face an uncertain future, but there's one thing that I want you to be certain of… that I will always, always be by your side."

Emma chuckled happily as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye to the floor, then watched as he knelt down before her, raised his head to look into her eyes again and lovingly asked, "So… Emma Swan… what do you say? Will you marry me?"

"Yes," she answered happily, kneeling down with him while she laid her hands on his shoulders, then moved them to both sides of his face as he chortled and she finally leaned in close to kiss him in tenderness.

"I'm gonna make sure you can keep your promise," she continued again when she broke free from her thoughts and then looked down at her husband again as she smiled. "Killian, in all the years you lived in Neverland, did you ever hear of the brand this brute used on you?"

He weakly shook his head while he responded, "Never. If I ha… had, I might… have gone after it my… self. Swan, could… you ask Liam to… come in? I'd… like to speak with him, before I can't any longer."

Knowing her husband wouldn't like what she was about to tell him, Emma looked away from him ashamedly as she replied, "He's not here right now. He traveled with Dad, Leroy, and Morgan to Neverland. We haven't discovered how to cure the striations and your aging yet, but Gold told us we could at least cure the burns from the brand and hopefully the gash in your arm using the waters from the island's spring. I know…"

"No… no," Killian uttered, suddenly becoming agitated as he struggled to sit up again despite his condition until her husband slowly drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep, his speech becoming more and more incoherent while he did so. "How could y… you send… send them to that infer… infernal island again? Your father… Violet's… Not fo… for me."

"I wish you would understand that we would all risk everything to protect you, just as we would everyone else," she whispered again. "Even endure Neverland all over again."

Emma fell silent as she listened and watched his chest rise and fall while he struggled to breathe. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the aging continued again and Emma had to stifle a gasp when his cheekbones, as well as the bones in his upper chest slowly began to protrude through his skin.

Killian let out a soft whimper and Emma knew that while he was more asleep than unconscious, he was far too weak to awaken despite the anguish he was suffering. Inside, the Savior wanted to break down and scream. However, she understood he needed her to be strong for him and so instead, she continued to hold him as she softly began to sing.

"Once we lived in darkness

Out there on our own

Left to brave the world

Alone

Everything seemed hopeless

No chance to break free

Couldn't hear the song inside of…"

Emma broke from the song still inside of her, having changed a few of the words since she wasn't the only one who had lived most of her life alone and feeling so hopeless, suddenly becoming overwhelmed by the emotions swirling around within her while tears began to fall from her eyes. When she finally regained control of her emotions, she continued to sing just as quietly, only she sang the song she and her true love sang together at their wedding, one of the happiest moments of her life.

"Tomorrow is uncertain

Who knows what it will bring

But one thing is for sure, love

With you, I have everything

And happily ever after

Is the way these stories go

Used to think that's what I wanted

But now I finally know

There's no storm we can't outrun

We will always find the sun

Leave the past and all its scars

A happy beginning now is ours…"

At last, Killian stilled as he began to sleep more peacefully and although the gentleness of her voice while she sang to him appeared to soothe his discomfort a little as it could, it didn't do much to soothe her own restlessness and anger towards the villains who caused her husband's suffering.

Emma gently laid Killian's hand and arm back down on the bed, leaned down to tenderly kiss his lips, then stood again as she walked out of the hospital room. Those still with them rose when their Savior left her husband's side. However, before she spoke with them, the Savior turned back to face the glass walls and door, then waved her hands to place the most powerful protection spell she could conjure over the room so that no evil could break though. She just hoped her magic was powerful enough to keep out the deity hellbent on revenge.

Before Snow could ask her daughter what she had in mind, the Savior stated firmly, "I can't just stand by doing nothing any longer. It's time we take this fight to them. I'm not comfortable with waiting for them to attack us first anyways."

Emma tuned to Happy and Doc, who remained behind after Grumpy left with David and the others to go to Neverland, then she continued, "I need you and the rest of the dwarfs to remain here to stand guard over Killian like you did for my mother while she was trapped under her fist sleeping curse. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course," Doc answered assuredly. "But should that God return, or the brute who first attacked him… Grumpy is really the only one of us comfortable in a fight and we have no magic to fight them with."

"Don't worry, we do have magic and we're here to help in any way we can," Blue responded as she and three more of the fairies walked down the corridor towards them. "I'll join in the fight while the rest of us will help the dwarfs to keep your husband safe, Emma. They will also keep the children safe. Neal, Gideon, Robin, Henry, Violet…"

The Savior immediately pulled the Blue Fairy into a hug to show her gratitude and then she replied, "Thank you."

Snow then asked, "All right, but we don't even know where these villains are hiding."

"We might not, but Gold can find them," Emma answered and then she looked around at everyone standing around her. "I know we're about to fight in another battle that might be the most difficult we've ever faced together. I also know that the reason all of this is happening is because of decisions both Killian and I have made, selfish or not. I have no right to ask any of you for help in fighting against these villains, but I can't… I can't do this alone. So please, will you stand with me and help me to save my husband?"

"We all fight for the ones we love against all odds," Regina said steadfastly when she entered the hall and walked towards them, followed closely by her other self and Robin Hood from the Wish Realm, while everyone nodded in agreement with their Queen, showing Emma that they were all once again willing to stand with their Savior again against those trying to destroy them. "We're all with you, Emma. Lead the way."