Gathering at the fallen clocktower in the middle of Main Street, Underbrooke. The remaining of former villains, hero's and teenage authors, listened closely to the former Evil Queen as she explained what had happened after the redheaded assassin left her soulmate's mother at the former's vault earlier that day.
Turned out that the half-sisters had met much sooner when they were young girls, when Cora enlisted the help of an Assassin of the Brotherhood Amelia's own father, Romeo, to help her to bring the redhead to the Enchanted Forest help save her younger half-sister after a mishap with her mother's wand. But the budding sisterly relationship was quickly quashed when the Miller's daughter gave them water from The Lethe. A river that would make its drinkers forget about their troubles, separating the pair again only for Zelena's growing resentment of her younger sister to drive her to change the past.
The redhead couldn't help but see the way her partner's eye's lit-up as she recounted the very first interaction she had with Romeo Montague, unaware of how important he was to her.
Reconciling as they watched their mother move on in the cavern, Regina had changed her mind, telling her older sister to pursue her blossoming romance with the God of the Underworld himself, thinking she could change him, much to everyone else's disbelief.
"You told her what?" Emma queried with the former Queen.
"To give him a chance" she repeated herself to the group even taking her partner by surprise, knowing she was the one to tell the family that killing the Wicked Witch was not the solution to their problems, only this didn't sound like a solution either.
"And you thought that was a good idea because..." David trailed off seeking the answer on everyone's mind.
"Because we're family" she reminds them "And I'm trying to trust Zelena. She thinks she can change Hades".
"I'm sorry. I missed the part where Zelena changed" Hook spoke up to add the discussion.
"You'd think the ex-pirate with a rum habit would cut my sister some slack" the former Queen snaps at the pirate.
"That same sister that assisted a deluded King into using a broken sword to release a deity from her prison for the last three centuries" Amelia added to her partner
"What about yours?" the dark brunette snapped at her partner "I remember hearing rumours of The Duchess went on a rampage killing sixty people in two days".
Unfortunately for her, the rumours weren't completely untrue.
"She's…adopted" she weakly argued.
"Well, you'd think that the Evil Queen would be smarter than to send the Wicked Witch to romance the most devious man alive" Hook spoke up gaining Regina's attention as she went to bite back at the pirates slight.
"Easy, guys" Emma attempted to defuse rising tensions "We're not gonna win the war against Hades if we use all our ammo on each other".
"The Saviour has a point" a voice startled the group to see Hades himself approach them with determination in his step.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Hook snarled at the God of the Underworld.
"Get behind me, kid" Emma instructs her son pushing him behind her as Amelia took a step forward to face the God herself.
"Oh, I didn't find you to hurt you" Hades tells them "I came for your... " he trailed off as he found it difficult to say the next word on his mind "Wow, this is hard".
Hearing his struggles, an amused smile grew on the redheads face she relaxed, watching the man who was putting her through hell struggling with his words.
"W-"Emma spoke up only for Amelia to quickly shush her.
"Shhh. No, no" Amelia quickly cut the blonde off holding up a finger to hush her "Let him say it".
"Help" he finally forced out glaring at the redhead who smile only grew.
"What could you possibly want our help with?" the Prince asks the God.
"Simple. I went to meet Zelena for our date and found this" he tells them holding up a piece of rolled up parchment up looking straight at the, amused assassin "Miss Montague, I think you'll be interested in this".
The smile dropped off her face at that. Stepping forward the redhead snatched the note out of the God's hand, turning her back on the man reading what was demanded out of the God of the Underworld as she walked back towards her family only to stop once she saw what was written.
"Those old bastards" the redheaded assassin cursed to herself, before looking up to her seeing the look of concern on her partner's face. Handing the note to her love the former Queen read the words her Uncle and maternal Grandfather had in their possession.
"No" Regina gasped outload, quickly handing the note to the saviour.
"Zelena, she's been kidnapped by Gold and Pan" Emma told the men and her teenage son behind her.
"They're asking for a meeting tomorrow morning" the God informs them.
"Gold wants you to tear up the contract for his unborn child" Emma continued.
"So, do it" Regina told the man with her hands on her hips "I just got my sister back. I'm not going to lose her now".
"Neither will I" he tells her "I'll give them what they want, but I know the Stiltskins and their tricks" eyeing the men's niece and granddaughter in front of him "They're not gonna keep their word. Not unless I have an ace up my sleeve".
"Luckily for you, you got one" the former Queen stepped forward.
"I'm sorry. You've been Zelena's doting sister for all of what? Three hours? No" he refused her help point blank.
"Who's going to be more motivated than me?" the former queen argued.
Hades turns to face Emma and the redhead "Emma and Amelia" he answered the former Queen.
"What?"Why?" the pair said in turn hearing the mans request.
"If Zelena gets out of this alive, I'm prepared to offer you both a deal" he proposed to the pair.
"Don't trust a word he says" Hook warns both women.
"Now I agree with the pirate" Regina comment looking towards her partner, as the God spoke to the blonde saviour first.
"You and I both know your family wouldn't be here if it weren't for you" He said to the blonde "If you help me save her, I'll take everyone's names off their headstones".
"So we can leave the Underworld" Emma said outload before the assassin jumped into the conversation.
"I already tried to broker a deal with you once before if I remember right" Amelia spoke up glaring up at the man making him look at her "When I handed Juno over to you. You literally turned it to ash" she reminds the God as this came as news for the rest of those present as they looked towards the woman in confusion.
Pausing, the God too a stepped towards the redhead as she stood her ground against the nearing man "But you just wanted to save the life of the man you simply owe a debt to. I'm here to offer you the same deal again. Same conditions. In return for Zelena alive".
The assassin stood in stunned silence at the man's proposal.
"Amelia don't listen to him" Hook voiced to the woman "Whatever deal you tried to make, be fortunate he didn't take it".
"Just imagine it" Hades spoke up again with a tempting smile on his face "All that blood. Simply wiped away".
The former Queen looked at her love to voice her concerns to the woman only for the pirate to quickly to do that, taking those present by surprise as they saw Hook barge past his love to speak to the assassin himself.
"Amelia!" Hook grabbed her shoulder making her look at him, the others shocked at his outburst at the thought of the Assassin taking Hades deal as she met his desperate gaze "We agreed" he reminded her "We'd do this together. Whatever he's offering don't take it" he pleaded with the redhead.
"So, what do you say, Amelia? You want to send your family home or not?".
Taking a deep gulp, she tried to give the man that had stopped her from doing something stupid as to risk her life on a sinking ship, to then set her on a path of vengeance that had got her here, in this moment where she would be able to send the people she cared about the most in the world back home where they would be safe.
"Deal" she agreed to the deal making the pirate look at her in despair before she made herself look away from his face to look at the God that was going to give her everything she wanted "Where's the meeting?".
She could only hope her family would understand why she was doing this.
Sunrise couldn't come sooner as the extended family returned to the loft with only one question on their minds: What kind of deal did Amelia make with the God of the Underworld?.
She knew she would be questioned as soon as they were alone to speak in private, but as they filed into the apartment and the door was closed behind them, all eye's were on the assassin as she pulled the leather jacket from her shoulders to drape onthe back of one of the chiars at the dining table as they all gathered round to listen to what she needed to tell them.
With her at one end of the table and him at the other, he waited for the woman to tell him what deal she had made with the devil that ruled the Underworld despite his loud protests not to.
"Amelia" Emma was the first one to speak up "What was he talking about?".
Gripped the top of the chair in front of her, she knew there was no way of getting the other's to understand why she took the deal unless they knew the whole story of how she and the pirate opposite her first met.
"What kind of deal did you make Mom?" Henry asked her.
"The kind…that made sure everyone left, including Hook".
"And you right, Mom?" Henry questioned her. His question was met by silence "Mom?" he called out to her as it dawned on the adult in the room on what she had done to get them out of there.
"No Henry" she simply told him making him take a step back in shock, his head spun as he felt the strong hand of his grandfather on his back stopping him as she looked to her family "In return for helping Zelena, you all get to go home, allowing Hook to leave with you using Emma's heart. But I have to stay. No resurrection. no do-over's. no loopholes".
"This wasn't the only time you tried to make the same deal, was it?" Emma remembered her words from earlier.
"Last time I tried to exchange Juno for Hook" she told them "I had to make sure he got his second chance otherwise this whole thing would've been for nothing".
"Why Hook?" David asked her with shimmering eye's as Hook sat down on the staircase with his head down "No offence" he quickly voiced to the man present "But why are you putting him over your own life".
"Because if it wasn't for him. I would've died the same night the Godspeed went down".
"Amelia.." he tried to stop her from going any further.
"It's time to tell them Killian" she told him "They need to know".
"What the hell are you talking about?" Regina asked the as she looked between the pair for an answer for her love. She didn't know what the redhead was talking about.
Looking towards Emma, the redhead could see that the blonde already knew the story, that made it better somehow to know the woman as the pirate stepped forward to tell the tale of how they met.
"A long time ago, I was approached by a man offering a deal to hand-over three-centuries worth of research on the Dark One in exchange to attack and board a merchant ship in the middle of the night. He was after a woman onboard, only he failed to tell me about the woman's young son that he had planned to take away from his mother, killing her love and leaving her behind to sink on the ship they had called home".
Regina, David and Henry stood almost speechless as they took in the new piece of information.
"You mean.." the older woman trailed off, looking at her soulmate for confirmation.
"Aye" he glumly confirmed to the others "I'm the one that ruined her life that night" he admitted to the group.
"It's how I knew him. To hire him to kill Cora" Amelia supplied to her love "Because I knew he would do it. But for everything he did that night, Hook did try and stop Angelo from taking Tom. Even throwing the coin he had paid him with back to him".
"The ship took too much damage from the cannon fire it had taken. It was falling apart underneath our feet as Angelo was taking Tom away. I tried to go after him, I really did. But Hook stopped me. He told me to find my vengeance, if he hadn't, looking back, I would've been dragged down with the rest of the ship. Once we got onto dry land, Killian was ready to follow Angelo to the ends of the earth to find Tom again, but I decided against it-".
"Instead, I took a path that would take me back to you" she says looking at the former Queen, meeting her gaze the assassin felt her bottom lip wobble as tears gathered in her eye's before moving onto David "It took me to Snow keeping her a step ahead of the Evil Queen" she tells the Prince who gave her a sad smile before she turned to Emma. "It took me to getting you to that damn wardrobe" she choked a laugh as her composer finally fell as she looked at the end of the chain that took to her to a boy that had more faith in herself than anyone else or herself in that point of her life.
"Then it took me to Henry" she sniffed as the first tear fell from her eye to a boy she had fallen for "To a boy that had more faith in me to be good, than I ever deserved".
"It's a debt I've been trying to payback since I got a second chance to be better than the Widow. Killian paid back his debt to me when he took my Father off Neverland, and unknowingly returning my son to me".
"That..." she paused taking in a deep breath to compose herself as she looks to the man she saw as a true friend to her over the last year or so "That is something I can never repay you for. By taking the deal, I can get you back to the woman you love. To the life you deserve to have. Let me do this for you this time".
The man beheld the woman in this moment as she held his future in her hands. With a silent nod of his head, he settled for the woman's offer of his happy ending, while she remained in the Underworld.
"So" Emma broke the silence of the apartment "This is really it for you?".
"Yeah" Amelia choked on her tears nodding her head at the blonde "I guess it is Swan" she replied with a flash of a sad smile as the words echoed through the apartment.
Her words echoed through the loft as the teenager was the first to move towards the openly weeping assassin as he threw herself in her as she easily caught him in her arms, holding him tight in her arms as held the back of his head as he sobbed for the third mother he had gained when the curse had broken.
She was doing this for them and she would have no regret doing.
Closing and locking the door to the empty diner behind them. Amelia scanned the empty diner in front of her, taking tentative steps further in as the God of the Underworld shut the blinds on the door, giving them the privacy from any curious eye looking in from the outside.
"Show yourself" the God ordered the Stilskin men to appear for the deal that was about to go down.
The assassin watched as she felt the familiar tingle on the back of her neck telling her that the dark hearted men were about to make their appearance as on cue three figures of the men and Zelena made their appearance at the other end of the diner. Gold stood alone as Peter Pan held onto their hostage Zelena as Hades turned to join the Master Assassin with her signature brown leather gauntlets resting on her forearms.
"Glad to see you followed instructions and came alone with my granddaughter" Pan supplied, giving the redhead a smile in greeting.
"Skip the un-pleasantries Grandpa" she deadpans the man-boy "I see you've already grown bored of Tywin, so you go for my sister-in-law. Bad move" she states to the pair as the Wicked Witch gives the assassin a questioning look at the term she had used.
"Lord Capulet was old news dearie" Gold interrupted any vocal questioning from the Witch as he addressed his niece "He was simply...too old for what we did with him".
"Zelena" Hades stated in concern seeing the woman he loved in Pan's clutches.
"I tried to stop them, but..." she trailed off holding up her left hand which has the magic blocking cuff on.
"It's not your fault, it's theirs" he tells her.
"Oh, is that so?" Gold spoke up "Because we wouldn't be here if you'd ripped up that contract when I asked you to".
"You didn't have leverage" Hades states as he magically produces said contract in his hand, unfurling the contract to show the man.
"And now I do" the Dark One states, glancing over to Zelena "So, you stand there and don't move except to rip up that contract. Then you get the witch" her Uncle instructs the God.
Without hesitation the God ripped the contract that promised him, her Uncle's unborn child in Belle's womb.
"There. Now give her back" the God demanded out of the pair.
"Oh, you can have her back" Pan spoke up next to Zelena "But we didn't say anything about her heart, did we?. You see, my body is ready to walk the earth again. Except for one thing. A living heart. So, if you don't mind" he raises his hand ready to rip out Zelena's heart only for the witch to stop her.
"My heart has got a protection spell on it" she warns him.
"You may be good at magic. But we're better" Peter Pan retorts as he goes to remove Zelena's heart once again only to be hit by a blast of light magic, separating him from the Wicked Witch and her living heart.
"You sure about that?" the blonde saviour asks the who has enters the diner through the back in her red jacket making her way to the redheaded assassin and the God of the Underworld.
"I was beginning to think you couldn't get in" the God tells the saviour
"Locks don't bother me much" she tells the God taking a place right beside He ripped up the contract like you wanted, so leave" Emma told the Stilskin men in front of her.
"Since when does the Saviour answer to the King of Death?" Pan questioned the blonde.
"Since he's the one getting our family home" Amelia spoke for them.
"You picked the wrong team to back Amelia" Gold tells her "You won't get what you want from him".
"Really?" she questioned him narrowing her eye's at him "Because I'm getting more from him that I ever got from you, Uncle".
"And uh what would that be exactly?".
"Closure" she tells him with a straight face "Which is making me wonder why you're still here".
"Yeah, I suppose you have a point" he tells his niece with a tight smile. At that her Uncle disappeared in red smoke leaving his Father in the hands of the God of the Underworld, his Granddaughter and the Saviour.
"Rumple.." Pan calls after his son.
"Looks like your little boy only came for what he wanted" Zelena sneered in Pan's face.
"I don't think you're gonna be that lucky" Emma adds making him scoff as he snatched his hand off the Wicket Witch to poof away, allowing the God of the Underworld approach his love to remove the cuff from her wrist.
"Zelena, Are you all, right?" he asks his love as Amelia and Emma move to the bar keeping to themselves as the couple reunite.
"You tore up that contract for me" Zelena says to her love "I didn't think you'd do it".
"When will you believe I'd do anything for you?".
"I think I'm getting there" she tells him closing the distance between their faces the wicked witch plants a loving kiss on the Gods' lips. As their lips met a burst of light magic burst from the true loves kiss making both Emma and Amelia look up to see the source of light magic as Hades gasps clutching his chest.
"Is that?" she asks him.
"My heart. It's beating" he tells her with a smile before they kiss again but are interrupted by a rumble as Amelia and Emma had to steady themselves as the floor shook underneath their feet.
"What the hell was that?" Emma interrupted the couples' moment.
"My banishment, it's over" Hades supplied to the room "I can finally leave this place for good" he sates as he looks towards Emma and Amelia "Very soon, at the cemetery, there will be a fully formed portal back to Storybrooke, but it will close at sunset".
"First things first" Emma interrupts him "We've held up out end of the deal" she reminds him "Now it's your turn. We're going home through that portal, too. All of us".
Arriving at the cemetery, the God's words rang true as they found the clocktower in the middle of the cemetery as the group of hero's, villains and God's watched the clock hands turned quickly round and round by itself as the Master Assassin stood with the former Queen with her hand in her gloved one as they sought to find out what was happening. They had hour's if that until they parted for the last time, eking out every second they had together until she had to leave.
"How'd it get here?" David asks the Lord of the Underworld as he invested the broken tower in front of them.
"The hands are moving. Is that a good sign or a bad one?" Emma asks him.
"It's a great one if you want to leave" Hades informed them "When those hands spin fast enough in about an hour, it'll turn into an open portal back".
"Which we can't go through because of those" Regina points out to the God indicating to the graves "So, let's get on with it".
"Gladly" Hades tells them magically removes all their names from the graves with a wave of his hand as one by one each name on the headstone disappeared from sight as the Master Assassin let out a sigh of relief not to see her sister's and soulmates names on the stones that held them hostage in the Underworld.
"There. As promised. You're no longer tied to this realm" Hades tells the group.
"I told you love could change him" Zelena told the rest.
"I don't buy it. A man can't change that quickly" Hook looked to Amelia as he said this to see if he believed the man had changed as quickly as he wanted the rest of them to believe. Only for Emma to block his line of vision.
"We're free to go through the portal when it opens, which means it's time to split my heart so you can leave with us".
"Aye, luv" he smiles at the thought of leaving with the woman he loved.
Emma turns to Regina "Do it" at the saviours instructions Regina takes Emma's heart, and Emma groans in pain. she quickly splits the heart in two, hands Emma half and Emma attempts to put it in Hook's chest, but instead it doesn't work and she falls to the ground in pain. Steading his love the former Queen quickly took back the other half to put back together and put it back in her chest as the redheaded assassin rushed forward to take the saviour's other arm to help her stand back up straight.
"Why didn't it work?" Emma gasps out.
"I told you we couldn't trust him" Hook accuses the God.
"That wasn't me" Hades calmly defends himself "I'm afraid there are laws of nature beyond even my control".
"No, it should work" David spoke up "I died. My wife's heart brought me back" he argued.
"How long were you dead?" the God asks him.
"A minute or so, maybe less" Regina supplied answering the God's question.
"Aha" Hades stated "I didn't think I recalled you entering this realm. Your soul never left your body. That's why it worked for you".
"So, Hook's been down here too long?" Amelia asked the God.
"And his body's rotting away up there" Hades reminded the group "Even if your soul could return to it, I doubt either of you could stomach the smell".
"Well, Emma, it appears you have to return without me" Hook tells his love as he held her in his arms.
"No" Emma stops him "There has to be another way".
"Emma, please".
"You're telling me no one's gone to the Underworld and brought someone back?" she asks the God as Hades stays silent at her question. The blonde quickly Realizes it has happened before when Hades doesn't say anything "They have. Who? Who did? How?".
"It was a long time ago, and it was a rumour. There's no proof it actually worked".
"Tell me everything".
To get their answer, Hades took them to his private chambers that held his throne and were all five flowed through. The God of the Underworld was showing them the last time a soul left the underworld under his watch.
"Orpheus and Eurydice" Hades states giving the book he held with the story to Henry.
"I know this myth" the teen says sharing the book Hades had given him down the line for the other's to see "She died, and he followed her to the Underworld to get her back" to which Amelia nodded along having read the story from the books her mother left her.
"These are the only two souls who ever escaped my realm" Hades informed them.
"How? I thought you said that broke the laws of nature" Amelia asked the man with a sceptical brow.
"Orpheus helped Eurydice escape by feeding her ambrosia, the food of the gods".
"And where exactly do you get some of that?" Regina questioned the man "'Cause I don't recall seeing it on the menu at the Blind Witch's".
Taking them to the library next, the group stood Infront of the bricked up elevator only a few day's ago they had tried to get through to take the fight to Hades himself only for said wall to stop them from going any further with their plan. With a wave of his hand, the God of the Underworld removed the wall to reveal the elevator itself, unblocked.
"An elevator?" Emma questioned the God "I'm the Saviour. I've got magic".
"And I'm the Lord of the Underworld. That should tell you something" Hades retorted "The ambrosia? It's powerful, and like a petty spoiled child, it wants all the power for itself. Everything else is shut down below. There's no hopping in and out in a puff of smoke. This is the only way, and once you're down there, you're on your own".
"And then what? We're knee deep in a field of ambrosia? Can't be that easy" she questions him.
"I'm not really sure. Even I've never ventured that far down".
"So we're going to the one place in hell where even the devil is afraid to go" Hook pointed out still untrusting in the man.
"Not hell and not the devil" Zelena quickly defends her boyfriend.
"And not because I'm afraid" Hades retorts "There's a test to ensure that only those who are worthy of eating ambrosia can reach it, and it will require offering up your heart for judgment".
"Without magic, how am I gonna take out my own..." Emma tried to say before she knew Hades hand was in her chest making her grunt out before pulling it out her chest for the second time that day "You're not" he tells her placing her heart in a bag and holds it out to her "My gift to you. Take good care of it".
"Let's have this be the last time we do this today, okay?" she tells the man gratefully took the bag from the God with her heart.
"Just trying to help" he shrugs at her.
"So, failing this test has, what, fatal consequences?" Emma asks the man.
"One would think" he guessed.
"You don't have to do this, Swan" Hook tells his love making her look up at him
"And you didn't have to sacrifice your life to save all of us from the Dark Ones" Emma countered the pirate "We're going".
"We'll be right here waiting for you" David tell his daughter as she goes down the line of her family.
"Regina. Amelia" she starts approaching the couple.
"I know the drill" Regina tells her "If you're not back by sunset-".
"Everybody leaves, promise me" Emma interrupts her.
"Don't worry I'll make sure" the redhead promises the blonde "You'll be back though" the redhead gives the blonde a reassuring wink with an upturned smirk making her smile back at her before engulfing the woman into a warm embrace not sure if this would be the last time, she would speak to her "Look after him would you, I don't think I could survive eternity alone with him".
A weak chuckle left the blonde as she held the redhead tighter "I will" she promised before pulling apart with a watery smile as she moved along to her son bring him into a tight embrace.
"I love you, Mom".
"I love you, too, kid" Emma pulls back from the hug and looks at Hook, who nods. Walking into the elevator with Hook following behind her, the pirate pulls down the gate for them before the elevator to take them down into the depths of the Underworld the God himself had never ventured into himself.
And now, their wait began.
Emma and Hook hadn't been gone for long , but that didn't help the time that dragged on the surface for the one's waiting for them to return. She was used to waiting long hours for her target to emerge from whatever back water cavern hey had been hiding in. For some of them, namely the youngest member of their family in the room the wait was getting a little too long for him.
"We can't just sit around waiting for them to get back" Henry told his adopted mother as he paced in front of her as she had her ear up against the metal doors that were covered in the chalk runes she and Juliet wrote on only days ago.
"We don't have a choice, Henry" Regina tells her son stepping away from the elevator to stop his worried pacing to tak his hand into hers "The minute Emma and Hook get off this elevator, we're going straight through that portal".
"What about Operation Firebird?" he asked her looking at Amelia behind him stood next to his grandfather "We can't leave the Underworld without helping the people trapped here".
"They were trapped here because of Hades" Amelia tells him "Who, fortunately for them, will no longer be a resident in the next few hours" she tried to ressure her son as best she could.
"Just admit it Amelia" Hades himself drawled out from across the room stood next to his love Zelena "You're looking forward to it" Hades teased her before looking back at the teen "But she's right. The Underworld will function as it was meant to. A place for people to deal with their unfinished business without anyone getting in their way".
"Yeah, but a lot of the people down here don't even know what their unfinished business is" the teen argued with the God "But maybe as the Author, I can tell them" Henry was interrupted when the door to the library opened to reveal Robin holding his infant daughter in his arms, with John and Anastasia behind him.
"What's going on?" John asked the group inside.
"Oh great. You got our message" David replied as they three new commers saw Zelena and Hades in the room.
"What are they doing here?" Robin asks the other's pointing at the pair stood with them.
"Uncle" John greeted the God with a firm but weary nod.
"Nephew" Hades greeted his brother's Grandson "Good to see you at last".
"Hello to you, too" Zelena deadpanned the thief holding their daughter "Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna let our darling daughter see her mummy?".
"Amelia" the thief called out to the redhead who approached the three to ease the rapidly growing tension in the room.
"It's okay, Robin" she tried to reassure her friend as his daughter cooed in his arms making him gently rock her side to side "As hard as this is to believe, they're actually helping us".
"We all want the same thing" Hades told the three newcomers "To leave this place".
"It's true" David spoke up for the God "He took our names off the tombstones. We can leave".
"Then what are we still doing here?" John asked his ex-wife.
"Captain tight shirt has got a point" Zelena spoke up making the Captain look down at himself in confusion to see what she was talking about only for Anastasia to pull at the sweater that he was wearing that moulding into his strong physic "We could take the baby to the cemetery now and then all walk through as soon as it opens" the Witch suggested to the man.
"Not without Emma and Hook" David insisted.
"And Henry's right" Regina voiced from behind her partner "We can still help people" she tells her who nodded in agreement as she faced her friend.
"Robin, take the baby to the portal" Amelia suggested to him.
"No" he shook his head at her "I'm not leaving you in this place. He may be playing nice, but there's still plenty of people down here that have a grudge against you and Regina" he argued.
"He's right sister" Anastasia spoke up from her place "And I am not just talking about the people in this very room".
"Okay, then" she sighed out thinking of her options in front of her. There weren't many but there was one she wanted to test out as soon as the Wicked Witch was informed that the assassin wouldn't be returning to Storybrooke with them. "Give her to Zelena then" she told the thief taking the Witch behind her by surprise once again. That was the second time in hours.
"Are you mad?" he snapped at her.
Maybe she was at this point, but as the though of her options this was the one she wanted to take. If Regina could trust her, she could. Looking back at the other redhead, the assassin thought back to their conversation in the farmhouse as she silently asked the woman once again to promise her to look out for the man that had anchored from delving deeper into the darkness than she already had.
Giving the assassin the slightest of nods, the Wicked Witch reiterated her promise to the assassin, before the latter turned back to her best friend to
"We can trust her" the words fell from her mouth as a trusting smile smiled at the woman behind her.
"Maybe you can" he argued further.
"Then trust me" she insisted to the thief "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it's what's best for your daughter. We have an agreement; she'll keep her promise to me once you've gone home"
"And you sister?" Anastasia asked on the behalf of the three of them.
"This is the end of the line for me" she states to the three of the most important people in her life, all knowing what it meant. She wasn't coming back with them.
As the words dawned on them the three fell silent before the thief quietly nodded in understanding, kissing Baby Hoods head before walking pass his best friend to hand his daughter over to her mother.
Stepping forward to meet him, Zelena take's the bundle wrapping in the pink blanket before going to her sister to hug her before approaching the assassin, leaning forward she hugs the assassin as best she cold with her daughter in her arm.
"Thank you" Zelena tells the assassin knowing how much it must have taken for the woman to trust her.
"Just keep them both safe" Amelia tells the woman "That's all I ask".
"I promise" Zelena tells her before they parted for the new mother and Hades to leave the library with the infant in their possession.
As the pair left she looked to her thief and for him close to tears from having to let his daughter go with her mother and Hades.
Across the room Amelia saw her friend close to tears as she followed him "Robin" before she knew anything he brought her into a bear hug that engulfed her senses of the forest and fresh rain.
"Is this really the end?" he asks her, not being able to imagine his life without the redhead in it anymore.
"I'm sorry, it is" she tells him. Pulling out of the embrace Robin rubbed his eyes as he fought back his emotions knowing this day would eventually come.
"I just... I need a moment" the thief tell her leaving her to go behind a couple of bookshelves and tries to compose himself and he stiffens when he hears the floor creak "Who's there?" he ask's outload, he whirls around to see the Dark One stood behind him.
"It's just me, dearie" Gold tell him "Don't worry. You'll remember none of this" he says before shoving his hand into his chest to take his heart out.
Setting up a chair and table outside the library, the teenage Author set out to help those who would still remained in the Underworld long after the God would leave to start his new life in Storybrooke with Zelena, helping them to find their unfinished business.
With his remaining mother's stood behind him, with Anastasia and John nearby as the other's waited inside for any sign of Emma and Hook's return, a long line had formed for the souls looking to find their unfinished business from the thirteen year old outside the library. The next soul that came forward, was someone who the assassin recognised straight away from before the first curse.
"Hello Stealthy" the redhead greeted the dwarf she once killed in her old days with a grin on her lips as she looked at the dwarf.
"Y-you" she stammered in fear recognising her as well.
"You know him?" Henry asked his third Mother.
"Mmmh" she hummed in agreement "I was stealthier" she said with a smile on face her sister chuckled beside her.
"Is this some sort of joke?" the dwarf accused the teenage Author.
"Look" she sighed rolling her eyes at the dwarf "For what its worth. I'm sorry for killing you, but seeing as I'm going to be spending the next eternity down here, I would take what my son has to offer. Otherwise you'll be spending it with me" she finishes with a tight smirk on her lips. At his the dwarf readily accepted the assassin's offer as the teen got to work writing out the dwarf's unfinished business.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be spending the rest of the day apologizing?" she told her partner who in turn rubbed her arm to comfort with an amused grin as Robin joined them outside.
"Here you go, Stealthy, your unfinished business" Henry tells the dwarfs hand him the page.
Scanning the page the dwarf took a minute to read the words written by the teen before looking up from the page to speak to the Author.
"Oh, wow. I hadn't realized how much resentment I held against Bashful" Stealthy tells Henry "Thank you. And, um, when you get back, can you tell my brothers I miss them?".
"I will. Y-you know, Leroy..Grumpy" he corrects himself "He talks about you a lot" Stealthy smiles gratefully at the teen before walking away as David exits the library to find the others outside.
"Any sign of Mom and Hook?" Henry asks his grandfather.
"No, but we still have some time before the portal even opens" he answers as commotion makes it ways through the line coming towards them.
"Don't count on it!" Cruella voice was heard from the back of the line.
"You've got to be kidding me" Amelia exasperated in annoyance. It was Cruella cutting the whole line to get the front desk, pushing the people aside as she helps Henry quickly hide the pages from the desk.
"That's right, vermin. Scatter!" she yells at the people as she comes to a stop in front of them.
"Sorry, Cruella, but I don't think your unfinished business is going to take you to any place you'd like" Regina tells the woman.
"Oh, I'm not here to collect my story" the heiress tells them "I want to stay in this marvellous realm. You see, with Hades departing, the Underworld is going to need a new ruler".
"You?" David questioned the woman folding his arms across his chest.
"It's the only upside to your daughter sentencing me to this fate" she tells the Prince "But the job would be meaningless without a citizenry to torment".
"Cruella, we're not gonna let you harm these people" Amelia told the woman "And as long as I'm down here you'll be lucky I let out of your kennel to feed".
"Oh darling, don't think I haven't heard of your little plan to stay down here while your family go back home" she tells the assassin "You think I'm just going to keep them here? Oh, no. I'm going to keep all of you here. It's only fair, considering it was your son who refused to write me back to life, and you" she turned to Amelia and David "You dissolved my James, the best toy in the whole playpen"
The sentence made the blonde assassin retch to herself at the thought of the woman and David's twin.
"I'm still waiting to hear how you're going to stop us from leaving, Fuzzy" Regina told her "Because all your magic can do is make a dog roll over and beg".
"I don't have the magic to keep you all penned in here" Cruella tell them as the Blind Witch appeared beside her along with Claudius, Iago, Richard and Tybalt with weapons in their hands and vengeful look's on their faces as souls ran away behind them "But I do".
Using her magic, the Blind Witch sling's Henry, David, John, Robin and Anastasia into the library behind them, leaving Amelia alone and defenceless, as her old family surrounded her as bent her knee's taking a fighting stance ready for whatever that be thrown her way.
As the family slide into the library the doors of the building shut behind them, separating them from the lone assassin outside as they quickly stood to get back outside.
"Melia!?" Regina called out the redhead only to see the redhead missing "Where's Melia?!" she panicked having seen her old family for the brief second before she and other's were sent back into the library. The Prince jumps forward to open the doors back open only for the former Queen to stop him.
"Out of the way, David" she tells the man conjuring a ball of fire in her hand "You forced my hand, Kid-Eater!" she yells through the door before throwing the ball of fire at the door's only for it to fail as it dissipates on contact.
"Regina!" Robin exclaims in fear as he and other's flinch away from the flames as the former Queen stood bewildered that the Blind Witch was capable of stopping her magic.
"What the hell?" she breathed out.
Outside she heard her love yelling through the door wating for the former Queen to come back through with her magic only for nothing to happen. How was that possible?.
"That's right!" Cruella yelled out "No one's getting out before sunset when the portal closes, and then no one's getting out" Cruella tells them before looking at Amelia who was still staring at the door's that separated her from her family.
"Consider it payback, Regina!" the Blind Witch called out to the former Queen "For tricking those children into burning me in my own oven".
"Ta-ta!" Cruella added before speaking to the Witch beside her "Oh, it's going to be a nice eternity after all. At least for us" Cruella tells her partner in crime as they turn to the remining hero outside the library.
"Amelia darling" Cruella caught the redhead's attention making her look towards the heiress, witch and her former Brotherhood "A few friends of mine wanted to say hello again, they'll be more than happy to keep you busy".
"Boys" the Witch addresses the assassin's beside her "Make sure this one learns her lesson".
"Gladly" Claudius growls out as the assassin's advanced on her.
Four against one. She liked those odds. Love them even. She's had worse and still come out on top.
But four highly skilled Master Assassins against only her. Those odds weren't' her favourite, especially with her family trapped in the building behind her.
With her hidden blades unsheathed and her feet set firmly shoulder width apart on the ground. Claudius stood directly in front of her onto of the rubble where the clock tower once was with Iago his weapons master, Tybalt the Brotherhoods Free runner that could outrun any guard, and Richard III his master of mercenaries and expert marksman could hit a target in a swirling tornado with a blindfold.
They all stood with odd looking weapons in his hands. Claudius sported his usual double cutlass swords like her father, but they seemed different somehow. Richard held a bow and arrow with the arrow heads seemed to glimmer by themselves even in the Underworlds dull sunlight. The same with Iago's dagger in his hand.
"You one last chance to stand down" Claudius was the first to speak "Stand down and join us. Your real family".
"You'd really think I'd take your offer after what you did to my mother?" she scoffed at the man "You handed her over to Juno".
"Death was always her destiny Amelia be in this life or another. The cycle always continues".
"Well" she said "Here's to breaking it" she said before sprinting straight at Richard who notched an arow in his bow letting it fly straight into her shoulder making scream out in pain and stop to clutch at the injured shoulder she took her hand away for a second to see her blood covering her fingers before she really felt like there was an arrow in her shoulder as her knee's gave out underneath her, making her fall onto the street completely at the mercy of the assassin's in front of her.
That hurt...That really hurt.
"Funny thing about weapons given to you by a God" Richard quipped with a smirk twirling another arrow in his hand "Any ordinary weapon may not hurt the likes of us, but these do".
"Hades gave them to you?" his former students questioned him.
"How else was he supposed to subdue the Black Widow while time runs out for your family?" he said as he stepped towards her.
It was a trap. Hook was right. He never intended on them returning with them. He had Zelena and her daughter and now a beating heart. They'd all been played by the God of the Underworld.
"And now, we'll finally get the revenge we deserve" he growled at the younger woman before him about to strike down the woman that single handily destroyed the Brotherhood of Assassins.
Bowing her head and closing her eye's shut, the redhead waited for the killing blow as she thought of the people, she loved the most, some in the building behind her and those who had made the trip back home.
Only it didn't come, there was no pain, no blood .only a gurgling sound that made her open her eyes and look up to see Ophelia crouched over Richard on the ground on his back with one of his arrow through his own chest his body seemed to convulse in pain before stilling before he seemed to disintegrate in front of her before turning into ash, wisping into the wind blowing away into the wind that wasn't there.
Discarding the arrow onto the ground the Mistress of Stealth stood up straight to face her fellow assassin's.
"Ophelia" Iago gritted out in agitation "How lovely you could join us".
"Well, I heard there was a party" she huffed out joining the redhead in front of the library doors, helping her former student back onto her feet, being careful of her injured shoulder that had an arrow in it.
"What are you doing Ophelia?" Claudius questioned the brunette.
"Let's just say I'm sober enough to finally see the light" she said snapping the shaft of the arrow lodged into Amelia's shoulder, making her cry out in pain before pulling it out, freeing her to fight the other's.
This was gonna be fun.
Still trapped inside the library the other's could hear a fight from outside it's doors as Anastasia sat at the window trying her best to looking through the obstructed glass to see what was going on outside. The only guess the blonde assassin got of what was happening outside was when someone yelled out in pain, or grunt out in excursion as they pushed away attacks from the Master Assassin's as David was still trying to find a way outside of magic of getting them out of there in time to get to the portal.
"What's happening out there?" John asks the blonde assassin as he glances behind him to see Regina staring dumbfoundedly at the doors twisting something on her finger on her left hand.
"I don't know" the former Duchess fretted to the man "But I can't see Richard anymore" she informs him having not seen the Marksman for a while.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Henry asks his aunt looking over her shoulder to try and see what was going on.
"I'm not sure Henry".
"Why are they even here?" David asked the blonde assassin "I thought they went into hiding after what happened to Juliet".
"Maybe a last-ditch attempt on revenge" she suggested to the former Prince as the former Evil Queen finally spoke up behind them.
"I don't get it" Regina she tells them "The Blind Witch's spells are always half-baked".
"Unless this isn't her spell" Robin suggested to the woman.
"Hades" she realised "He wants us trapped in here".
Every block, kick and swing of her hidden blade was filled with venom as each woman fought tooth and nail, adrenaline pumping through the redhead's veins pushed her to tire out her former family as quickly as possible so she could free those who had been trapped inside the library, as they ran out of time to leave the Underworld. But the assassin's weren't looking anywhere near tired as they continued their fight against the two women defending the library doors.
The redhead hadn't gotten away unscathed as she came close a few times to one of Claudius's swords or Iago's daggers had met her eyebrow, making a deep enough cut to create a blind spot for the redheaded assassin as red liquid poured from the wound, and in her line of sight.
Seeing the injury Ophelia quickly filled in the younger woman's blind spot blocking any attack from the redheads left side as the ground shook beneath their feet, hard enough to drop Tybalt onto the ground, opening an opportunity for the redhead to pick up his dropped weapon next to him, stood over him aiming straight for his head, the free-runner closed his eye's as he waited for the end to come only to feel himself being pulled up back onto his feet, snapping his eye's open he see's that it was Amelia who had pulled him back and spared his life.
"That's for Michelina" she tells the man making him look at her in surprise "Next time, you won't be so lucky" she tells him before pushing back onto the ground before throwing his weapon onto the ground few feet away from him as she retreated back to catch Ophelia before she hit the ground having been thrown back by Iago.
"We need to draw them away from the library" Amelia huffed out to her partner as they found themselves back-to-back in the middle of the rubble surrounded by Iago, Tybalt and Claudius sporting their own small injuries.
"We split up" Ophelia suggested to her former student "You go to the graveyard while I go into the woods. Shay is nearby, he'll be more that happy to kill a few more assassin's".
"No, I made a deal" she protested to the older assassin.
"Whatever deal you made with Hades voided when he trapped your family in the library. You need to go home".
"I can't! I've been dead too long".
"Then do something I wasn't able to do when I was still alive" she was interrupted when the three attacked them once again making them split up as they fought them back.
Amelia managed to trap Iago's long dagger between her hidden blades before twisting out of his hands, the weapon flew up into the sky before it was easily caught by the redhead. Without hesitation Amelia lunged the dagger into his neck dragging it across his throat creating a deep but deadly cut that made blood gush out of his body. As his body slumped onto his knees, his body started to cave into itself before turning into ash leaving the dagger behind in her hand.
Distracted by the way Iago's body left this plain she felt a pair of hands in her shoulders being turned around to she Ophelia once again.
"Say goodbye to the woman you loved" taking the redhead by surprise she smashed her lips on hers leaving a sloppy but heated kiss on Amelia's lips before pulling away.
"Sorry I missed the wedding" the brunette told her with a sultry smirk and wink before running past her with Tybalt hot on her heels leaving her alone with Claudius.
As her mind caught up with what was going on around her before pushing her feet forward to quickly bypass the senior assassin to run as fast as she could to the graveyard as the man followed her leaving the front of the library free of vengeful assassins.
She only slowed down until she was in the graveyard. More specifically inside the Brotherhood's part of the cemetery were assassin's stood in marble for the rest of eternity side by side around her, some with their heads completely missing or some with huge cracks in the middle of their likeness.
Her breathing became laboured as she finally came to a stop in front of her own gravestone. She knew she wasn't alone; she would never be alone if someone from the Brotherhood remain in the Underworld. Her heart slowed down she finally felt the cut and bruises that covered her body, one specially on her side that was in the same spot she was stabbed when she defended Regina and Snow's carriage.
Ripping off her jacket and tossing it to the ground she saw the damage for herself, she didn't need to lift her shirt to see how bad it was. Blood oozed thickly onto her shirt as she tried to quickly cover it with her hand knowing it was futile.
That's when she finally spotted them. They were all there except from Hook as they ran closer and closer to the portal. Their plan had worked as a smile crept onto her lips through the pain she felt from the skirmish with her former family. They were going to make it.
That smile quickly fell as she saw a figure not too far behind the family, ready to ruin any happy ending the redhead had of seeing her family leave the Underworld.
She didn't know when she started running but she found herself getting closer to Claudius just as they were pushing Henry through the portal in the clockface first.
Regina was next a leg halfway through the clockface when they heard a cry behind them, whirling around they saw Amelia barrelling shoulder first into the stocky Claudius, taking the man off his feet as they rolled across the ground in a heap.
"Melia!" she heard her Queen call out for her. Her calls went ignored as Amelia and Claudius fought for dominance as the former Queen found herself taking a leg out of the portal to help her love in fight that was only going to end one way.
"Regina no!" John yelled to stop her from moving any further from the portal "We need to go now".
"But-" she tried to argue with the former Captain taking her eye off the fight for a second only to look back to see her love on her back with her Mentor sat on her keeping her down as a hidden blade sprang from his gauntlet, the same hidden blade that had once struck down her father, one that been changed by the God of the Underworld that would be able to erase her from existence right there and then.
Reaching back as he aimed for her heart, the Mentor of the Brotherhood of the Assassin's blade flashed above her as it fell towards her heart only for to stop at the tip of the blade met her skin as she saw one of the assassin's cutlass swords appear in the middle of his chest, through where his heart, freezing above her, a pain filled groan left his lips as he looked down to see the blade before it was pulled out again.
The other's watched in horror as Claudius started to turn to ash in front of their eyes before floating away in the wind to leave nothing behind but Amelia on the ground and the Templar Shay Cormac stood with the sword that had finished off the Mentor once and for all in his hands.
The other's blinked as the middle aged Templar turned looked towards them "Go!" Shay Cormac yelled at redhead's living family as they saw the man "Get out of here! GO!" he bellowed at the family to leave this place while they still could.
John didn't need to be told twice as he grabbed Regina around her waist, carrying her into the portal followed closely by Robin and Anastasia. Leaving David and Emma the last to leave the Underworld.
The ground shook once again as the redhead shakily sat herself from the ground to lean her head and back on one a headstone
"What were you thinking Amelia?" Shay asked the daughter of his best friend.
"I wasn't" she answered him as he see's the bloody wound on her side. The answer made the former Templar chuckle to himself as it reminded him of of Romeo in that moment as he looked up to see the Prince and Emma climb into the portal before turned back to a normal clockface as the arms came to a slow stop before stopping at 8:16.
"Just like your father" he tells her, holding his hand out for her to take "Come on" the man prompts her to take it.
Taking the helping hand, the man quickly wrapped a supporting arm around her waist as an arm went around the back of his neck as she looked to see none of her family and the clockface.
"They made it" Amelia stated outload as her thumb on her left hand found the silver ring that found it's new home on her ring finger.
Hearing Hades successful departure from the Underworld, Cruella Devil was ready to take the reigns of the realm as she let herself into the town hall to inspect her new office as Mayor of the Underworld with a skip in her step and a grin on her face ready to begin her next eternity with a bang.
Once she made it to the office door the skip in her step stopped when she found the door ajar and a light coming from inside the room. Slowly the heiress opened the door to the office wider to see a figure sat in her chair with their dirty boots crossed at the ankle resting on the edge of the desk with a glass of brown liquid in their hand watching the flames flicker in the fireplace, the only source of light in the room.
"I see you survived then" Cruella greeted the Assassin as she stepped further into the room.
"Had some help" Amelia replied with a smirk saluting the woman with the glass as the heiress saw that the woman hadn't gotten out of the fight unscathed as she saw the deep cut that went through her left eye brow and the bruises and cuts that had started to make their appeared on her knuckles, as her lip swelled and bridge of her nose started to swell up from the heavy blows it had taken.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Cruella questioned her "If you hadn't noticed Hades left".
"Oh I know" she replied dryly "I thought I'd try my hand running this place myself".
"And what makes you think you can do that?".
"Since I came into possession a set of weapons that can actually kill people like us" she informs the woman "And I'm the only one between the two of us that can actually kill you if you really pissed me off".
"You'd really think I'd just roll over and let you take this from me?" she stood her ground with the assassin.
"I do" she stated "Because now, I can do this". With a snap of her fingers, the heiress jumped as two burly men walked into the office carrying a large dog crate between them, taking it into the middle of the office before placing it down on the marble flooring.
"What's this?" she questioned the former Widow as the men took a place behind he heiress ready for their next order from the redhead sat at the desk.
"I did promise you a cage if I remember right. Well this is it".
"Y-you can't do this" she stuttered seeing how serious the woman was.
"Oh I can" Amelia retorts "Just ask your blind friend. She's licking her wounds in a cell in the Sheriff's Station at the moment under the watchful eye of our new Sheriff .She had a little accident with one of the stoves in diner you see, and we felt that for her own good she couldn't be left alone".
Cruella had barked up the wrong tree, this wasn't the Amelia she had met again in Storybrooke, no this was a woman who had lost everything and nothing to lose.
"Amelia darling" she called out with a shaky smile on her lips "I thought you'd changed".
"I have, but seeing as none of my family are here, that part of me that is still the Widow is having time of her life" she tells the woman with a wide smirk on her lips before it fell "Or undead life" she corrects herself "Also seeing as you still owed me for kidnapping my son's and the Apple of Eden back home, I feel it's only right that you should face your punishment here".
"Boys" the redhead stated as the men behind the heiress took hold of the heiress by her shoulders, pulling the fur coat off her back, letting it fall onto the floor as they picked up the woman from the ground and forced her into the open cage.
"Amelia no!" she protested "Make them stop!" the woman's pleas went unheard as Amelia turned back to the fire as the men carried Cruella in the cage out of the office as her threats of revenge went unheard by the assassin now Mayoress of the Underworld.
Once she was alone, she allowed herself to breath once again as she leant back in chair as she let the tear fall once again as she lifted her left hand up to the light watching as the flames reflected off the silver band that adorned her ring finger. For the first time since coming down here she had finally found some peace knowing she had married the woman she loved, even if it was for a few hours.
She couldn't help but let out the bubble of laughter that emerged from her throat as the tears continued to fall, the laughter dying down as she clenched her closed fist to her heart trying to get the only symbol of their love that remained in this plain to ease the heartache that grew knowing that she was ready to go. Her unfinished business was done. It always going to be her.
Her true love. Her soulmate. Her destiny.
AN: Happy Holidays!
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