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piracytheorist · 7 years

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Daemons of Another Kind - Part Three (Final)

It’s done! It’s very long (about 11k words long) but it’s ready! This is going to be the last big chapter I’ll write for this fusion. I’m planning on writing a few more scenes from that verse, as well as a couple headcanon posts about it, but they will not be in chronological order.

This part covers all of Season 5B (plus the end of 5x11), but with a few minor but important for me changes in the plot. #Milahdeservedbetter

Part one (covering Seasons from 1 to 4A) Part two (covering from 4B to 5A)

Tagging @jollysailorswan because her enthusiasm about this fusion has inspired me tremendously :)

AO3 | FFnet

Emma faintly registers the sky turning brighter. She's locked herself in the bathroom, one hand holding Addar against her body, the other clutching Killian's ring. She stayed there all night, despite the occasional pleas from her parents to open the door or talk to them. She's run out of tears, body tired from the sobs that shook it all night, feeling numb. Addar is nuzzled against her chest and hasn't said a word; she has forgotten how stronger their connection felt without the Darkness intervening. The sun rises and Emma finds herself unable to move.

Until she hears the whispers.

Sitting up, she feels perplexed. The Darkness is gone; that's why she had to... do what she did in the first place. Addar looks at her frustrated as well. She knows she can't tune his voice out now. She stands up and walks to the living room. Her parents are sleeping, though apparently uneasily so, so she steps outside and follows the whispers.

As Gold explains the situation, Emma can feel her blood boil. Killian sacrificed himself - he didn't even have to spare that monster's life - and it all was in vain. She lost him so that Gold could have everything.

She won't accept that, and she can't just stand by. She feels that threatening the Dark One is the least she's capable of.

The first thing she does once she walks out of the pawn shop is to go to the hospital and preserve Killian’s body with magic. It always makes her shiver, how they look so much at peace, but this time she simply looks at his face to fuel her determination.

The next time she will look at his real body again, he’ll be alive.

When the boat appears on the lake, Emma takes a look back at her loved ones. They're not giving up on her, even if in a way she wishes they stayed back for this. But she knows she needs a helping hand down there. Who knows what it will be like down there, how and when they'll find him. She only knows that they will.

It's scary, for one thing. There is no afterlife for dæmons, they simply disappear forever. Some say that those who move on manage to reunite with their own when they reach Heaven, but for now, Emma feels shivers run down her spine as she watches the souls wander around without dæmons to accompany them. It's nothing like it was when she got out of Storybrooke to find Robin, for now she knows that those people have wholly lost their dæmons.

And if it weren't for that, there are also the Harpies looming around. Large, flying beasts with deafening screams that attack random souls, causing them to scream in agony. Gold advises them to keep away from those; these attacks would have killed those souls if they weren't already dead.

It doesn't take them long to realize that they can't locate Killian easily. They hear rumours of an underground prison where Hades keeps the souls he wants to punish, but no one has escaped from those. With a few drops from that ale - whatever that was - Killian half-appears standing on his own grave. He seems unhurt, but he's barely visible, and he doesn't seem to hear or see her, no matter how frantically she tells him to look or talk to her.

He disappears before he manages to say a word.

Shortly after, they find a woman in the woods, on the verge of madness. She tells them about how Killian helped her escape, though she fears he took the burn for it from the Harpies - those prisons are home to many more Harpies than the above ground Underworld - but it lets Emma know he's heard her. And it makes her even more determined to find him now.

Luckily, Gold seems to be of help, as he finds his ex-wife - Milah - and enlists her to help them reach the underground prisons.

As they walk through the caves, Emma glances at the other woman - beautiful, confident, snappish, exactly how Killian had described her. What she didn't expect was her being standoffish, though the way Gold introduced them probably didn't help. Milah shoots glances towards her too, as well as her dæmon on her shoulder, but doesn't say anything for a long time. At last, they seem to reach corridors with dungeons on each side, the screams from Harpies and souls alike heard from afar.

"We have to split up," she offers, and Gold snorts. She throws him a glare, but he doesn't budge.

"You think you can avoid those Harpies on your own? And don't even think about using magic - it will only infuriate them and alert Hades of our presence here."

"I will go this way," Milah says as she points towards a corridor, "and we can meet back here in ten minutes."

Emma nods. "Milah, wait," she tells her.

The other woman turns towards her, her gaze having finally softened enough for Emma to find the courage to tell her about Neal. Her stiff posture seems to calm down once she hears about her son.

"Thank you," she says softly. "Thank you so much." She means it. "Now, let's go find Killian, all right?"

The distant screams make Emma feel uneasy. She doesn't want to imagine one of them being Killian's. She has no idea where he is, what state he's going to be in, if he'll even remember her...

She only walks where her instinct is taking her. Holding onto Killian's ring tight, she turns and turns around the corridors, knowing full well that she has to go back soon to meet with the others at the start before they search again.

Suddenly, she hears a high-pitched shriek right behind her. She barely has time to turn around before she sees the Harpy lunging at her, pinning her to the ground. Addar has fallen a few feet next to her and screams her name, as Emma tries to fight the monster off of her.

Just before the Harpy's hands curl around Emma’s throat, someone grabs the monster by the hair and pulls them back. The Harpy screams, which is no comforting sound, but soon turns towards her attacker and lifts off of Emma, who in shock realizes that her rescuer is no other than Killian. He gives her one look, and without a word he shakes his head at her, as if begging her to not make any move. He looks scared, and tired, but determined. The Harpy walks toward him, her long wings slack on her back, and she suddenly grabs him from the neck, pinning him to the wall. His mouth opens, his eyes close shut and his body tenses as the Harpy screams into his mouth.

Emma tries to move to help him, but Addar steps on her lap and stops her.

"No, Emma! She will kill you!" he says.

"I have to help him!" she whispers desperately, but truly, she knows he's right. She holds Addar close and watches as the Harpy hurts Killian. Finally, she's through, and she lets Killian fall to the ground half-conscious. She turns towards Emma, her expression no less furious than before. She hisses at her and turns around, spreading her wings and flying away.

Emma looks back at Killian and crawls next to him. He doesn't look wounded or in any form of physical pain, but he looks pale, exhausted and... lost. She cradles his head, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs. His skin is cold.

"Killian..." she whispers.

He opens his eyes for a moment, looking at her before he closes them again. "I told you to let me go," he says, and his voice sounds strained and dry. "You shouldn't be here. Nobody should."

"I never listen," she says, feeling confident.

He smiles slightly and opens his eyes. "You're impossible."

She smiles back. "And you love me for it."

For a moment, Emma thinks he's passed out. She looks at Addar. She knows what he's going to do and she feels extremely nervous, but deep down she wants it too so she doesn't stop him. Addar walks slowly towards Killian, and finally reaches up and licks his cheek. Emma feels goosebumps all over her body and Killian jerks his eyes open.

He looks first at the dæmon, then at Emma, whose smile seems to encourage him to lift up his hand and pet the ferret's head. Again Emma feels a wave of warmth spread over her at the touch as Addar leans into it. The two nuzzle together for a bit and Emma wishes Esther were here... before she realizes that her not being here was the very reason Addar stepped up and touched Killian for the first time.

Killian finally sits up and Emma wraps her arms around him. He only manages to hold on to her arm, but she feels relief for the first time in days, if not weeks. She has no idea what the Harpy actually did to him, he doesn't say. He simply leans on her as they walk slowly towards the meeting point.

"Killian... there's something you should know." She waits until she's sure she has his attention and goes on. "Gold tricked us, all of us. I don't know how he did it, but, he enchanted Excalibur somehow so that..." Killian has already turned towards her, "so he could be the Dark One again."

"What?" Killian blurts and stops on his tracks. He stays frozen for a few moments, looking at her perplexed. "That's not possible. The Darkness died, it died with me, this isn't..." his voice trails off.

"I know," Emma rushes to reassure him. "I don't know how that was possible or how he thought of it. That's why I came down here."

"My sacrifice was for nothing." Anger slowly builds up in his expression.

"It won't be once we fix this," she tries, reaching closer to him.

"I'll kill him," he whispers, looking down, and Emma knows that he means it. After having seen his rage as the Dark One, she knows that this threat is real.

Yet she can't find herself to care, besides from the fact that they actually need Gold's help.

"We need his help to get out of here."

He looks back up at her again. "And then I'll kill him." She knows he can see the same rage he feels in her eyes. She wouldn't oppose to it, damn it, she would have stabbed Gold first chance she got if that didn't turn her into a Dark One again. But for now they need him.

"Let's just go home," she says softly and reaches to touch the brace on his left arm. Addar walks down her arm onto Killian's shoulder and nuzzles his head by his neck. Killian looks up at Emma and smiles softly. Emma guesses she'll never get used to the excitement this kind of touch brings her.

The finally reach the meeting point at the beginning of the dungeons. Milah has her back turned on them, her arms crossed, but once she hears footsteps, she whips around and stays frozen for a moment. Emma smiles and nudges at Killian, whose head is hanging low with exhaustion. He shoots it up towards Emma, and she nods towards the other woman. Killian turns to look at Milah.

There is no word to describe the emotion on his face. He tries to run towards her, but he barely manages two steps before he almost collapses on the ground. Emma keeps him steady as Milah runs towards them as well. She lets go once Milah is close enough to wrap her own arms around him. They hug and get down on their knees, and Emma is happy to realize that she doesn't feel a hint of jealousy. She looks at Addar and they smile at each other. Killian and Milah pull apart and as Emma thinks they're going to stand up, Milah leans forward and kisses him and, wow, that's awkward. Emma looks away to give the couple their moment as she brushes her fingers in Addar's short fur. She looks at Gold instead, who has his back completely turned away from the couple, his lack of patience showing.

So be it, Emma thinks.

Milah helps Killian stand up, and she runs her fingers along his brace and hook. The two look at Gold, and Emma follows, and with three sets of eyes - four, with Addar - glaring at him, all Gold can do is flick his wrist and poof them all back into the living room. Of the house that was supposed to be theirs, that will be theirs, Emma reminds herself.

Emma nods at Milah, and the latter takes Killian to the couch as Emma and Gold step into the kitchen.

"We still need a boat to get out of here," Gold notes, caressing the snake on his arm.

"I seem to have noticed, thank you," Emma says.

"It's about time you said that," he replies with a smirk.

Emma rolls her eyes and scoffs.

"And there's still the matter of him finding a heart."

"I've got that one covered."

"You think you can do it yourself?"

Emma shrugs. "I have a few unpleasant memories of ripping people's hearts out," she gets a glare from Gold at that and a short hiss from his dæmon, probably for the Merida thing, as if his crime was less horrible, "and I'm not sure I'm actually willing to do it on my own."

Gold raises his eyebrows. "Would you give me the honour?" he asks, waving his hand.

"Like you did with her?" she retorts, pointing towards Milah with her head. She hears a soft mumbling sound from Addar for her crassness, and it does make her feel a bit guilty. She lowers her gaze and drops the subject. Suddenly, Milah raises from the couch, and gives Killian's shoulder a small squeeze before she walks towards the door. Emma follows her, but before she can say anything, the other woman speaks first.

"Hey, Emma, I wanted to say I'm sorry for... before... I was a bit too-"

"Don't worry about it," Emma says with a shake of her head. "I understand," she adds and she smiles.

Milah smiles back and goes to open the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To bring reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?"

"We still need to find a way against Hades, right? I think the more of us you have on your side, the better."

"Who are you going to find?"

"Killian's brother. Liam. He's here," she says with a small smile before she exits through the door.

Emma looks at the door, her mouth slightly agape at the new information. Liam. Now that's someone Killian never felt too awkward talking about. And Emma's going to meet him... suddenly her gaze falls on Killian, who is still sitting on the couch, his gaze down and restless. Emma turns towards Gold.

He sighs. "I guess I need to inform the others of our success," he says but, before he can poof away, everyone barges in from the front door. David, Regina and Robin walk to Emma, while Henry and Snow rush over to Killian, obviously overwhelming him.

"Heart-split?" he barely whispers.

"It's a good plan, it will work. Trust me," she says.

"But... what about Esther? She's gone."

"So was Rydel," David says, petting his sheepdog's head. "But she came back right after Snow's heart was put inside me."

Killian nods reluctantly, stepping back to give Regina space. But it doesn't work.

There's something particularly creepy about seeing your own name written on a tombstone. Faceless, emotionless, alarming.

Technically, they're not dead, but they still can't leave. Killian tries to pull away, searches around as if hoping he can find Esther and confide in her. As they poof back home, Emma tells the others to leave; Liam is coming at any moment and Killian already seems overwhelmed.

She sits on the couch and rubs Killian's shoulder with her hand. Even in the sunlight, tinted red as it is, he still looks pale, and his skin is still cold. Slowly, she leans in to kiss him, but he pulls away, looking elsewhere. For one treacherous, horrible second, the thought 'Milah gets a kiss but I don't' crosses her mind and she hates it.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"A lot of things are," he says. "A lot has happened between us."

"That's in the past."

"It's a problem, and I'm that. Emma, you were the Dark One for six weeks, and only gave into the Darkness out of love. I plunged in head first in a second, for revenge. I was weak!" he grumbles and stands up, walking around nervously. Emma catches herself looking around for Esther, for some help to back her up in convincing him.

"Not in the end," she finally says. She's feeling her own confidence rise now. She didn't come all this way for nothing.

"You raised the bar very high, Swan. The fact is, I don't measure up."

Oh, for crying out loud. "Let me be the judge of that." She stands up and walks to him. "If you didn't, would I have come all the way down here to save you?"

"That's my point," he says. "I'm not sure I deserve saving."

What? "What are you saying? You want to stay down here?"

And right then someone knocks the door. Wonderful. She wants to blast anyone who dares interrupt them away but she tries to keep her composure. It could be her parents, Henry, anyone. She opens the door and sees Milah standing next to a man, who smiles as soon as he spots Killian.

"Killian," he says.

Killian looks at him awestruck. "Liam?" he asks, his voice uncertain.

"So the rumours are true. After all these years, my little brother is finally here," Liam says.

Emma has a strange feeling in her gut, as if Liam is happy to learn that Killian has died. However, the look on Killian's face distracts her from that. She can't help smiling as he, almost absent-mindedly, puts his hand and hook on his brother's arms, the other man returning the gesture. Liam finally puts his arms around Killian, and Killian's face finally turns from disbelief to relief and happiness, however slightly contained. He leans into the embrace and slowly hugs him tighter before he pulls away and looks at all three of them in disbelief. The three people he loved the most in his life, meeting each other for the first time. It's weird.

And even weirder is how Liam and Milah keep trying to cover the fact that they’re staring at Addar. Emma wishes she could give them the freedom to touch him, if only to feel the touch of a dæmon after having spent centuries without one, but she knows it's not something anyone would find acceptable; Addar touched Killian for the first time less than an hour ago. The ferret turns to look at her. He understands her frustration but is respectively reluctant to touch the others.

As they sit down and talk, Emma notices Killian's hand resting on his lap, unconsciously trying to reach for a swan's head that is no longer resting on it. Even with Milah warming up to her, Emma still feels awkward, what with her earlier conversation with Killian being interrupted and not brought up again. How could she tell in front of them that she's here to bring him back, while nobody did that for them?

"Milah, I think you should move on," Killian says.

She grins and shakes her head. "No way am I-"

"Hades has already trapped Liam and Emma here. I cannot let him hurt you too."

"But I want to help! I can't just leave you here like that."

Killian reaches over and takes her hand in his. "Your unfinished business is over, right?"

She nods, and turns to Emma, giving her a soft smile.

"Then please, do what's best for you. I already have more help than I could ever hope for. Please."

She sighs. "Fine. But only if you at least let me help you find that book."

Emma had heard a lot of things about Liam. His bravery, his selflessness, his wit and logic. So the last thing Emma expected from him is to berate her.

"If Killian defeats Hades today, he'll forgive himself, and he'll have another chance to move on. When that happens, stop thinking about your own desires and let him go."

It's all Emma can do to convince Addar to stop gritting his teeth at Liam. She expected a few bumps in getting to know Killian's brother, but listening to him call her out on her mistakes hits hard; probably because of how much she knows he loves Killian. And she's scared of what influence Liam could have on him, after what he told her. Killian already looked reluctant to accept Emma's offer to be brought back, if he had Liam to back him up, well, that would make things even harder.

If only Esther was there now, to gawk some sense into his head.

And so, as they search around the Apprentice's house for the book, she splits up with Milah.

"What do those Harpies do?" Emma asks.

Milah shakes her head discouragingly. "They're vengeful creatures, entitled by Hades to the role of keeping things the way they are here. They... reach into your soul, making you remember your guilt and they feed off from the misery this causes you."

"And that could kill us?"

"You don't want to go through that, Emma. It may be fatal, I honestly don't know. You're the only living souls coming here that I’ve seen in my years. But they can't do worse than cause us pain. But only because we're already dead, I gather."

Emma decides to drop the subject, not wanting to imagine what that Harpy forced Killian to remember.

"What has Killian told you about Liam?" she asks instead.

"Oh, many things. He's got him pretty high up in the pedestal, if you ask me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Killian seems... different now, from how I knew him. Of course, I can understand, a few centuries can do that to you but... Killian always looked up to his brother. In rare times, he would tell me that he felt like he'd failed him."

"Always to the extreme, right?"

Milah shrugs. "Honestly, Liam never talked too much. Time is not of the essence for us here, we can't really feel how much time is passing, yet... I'd hoped I could at least learn something more about him. Like what his unfinished business even is."

"You don't know?"

"I think not even Liam knows what his unfinished business is. As if he doesn't want to accept it."

But even with that, Emma's nagging feeling won't subside.

"Milah... I'm here to bring Killian back."

Milah turns to her. "Yeah, I got that."

"What do you think of it?"

"I'm happy you had the chance to do it and took it. Are you asking me if I'm jealous? Because nobody did that for me?"

"Well..."

She shrugs. "As strange as it sounds, there's nothing for me to go back to now. My unfinished business is no more, and that is enough."

Emma looks at the other woman, wondering what this... afterlife has been like for her. Not knowing about Neal, about Killian... being fine with no one coming back for her...

"And what do you think about Killian? Shouldn't he move on too?"

"What does it matter what I think? It's his decision to make." Milah looks closely at Emma, and she understands. "He's not too sold on this idea, is he?"

Emma shakes her head. "And Liam seems to agree."

"Maybe that's the problem," Milah says, seeming thoughtful.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me guess; Killian always presented to you a positive image of Liam, didn't he?"

"Yeah..."

"And how often has he presented a truly positive image of himself? He's lived a lot of his life judging himself for not being as good as Liam, and now..."

"You think Liam doesn't want him to live his life?"

"I think he's missed him. I've missed him too," Milah confesses sadly, "but with Liam... it's different. He'd taken care of him for so long... I can't really put it. I just don't blame Liam for wanting him to move on."

"Instead of having a second chance at life?"

"Look, I agree with you, but I think Liam sees it differently. He probably thinks that Killian doesn't have that much to go back to, or that at least he will be at peace when he moves on, I don't know... I can see that you love him, Emma, but we love him too. What is it that he can do up there that he can't do if he moves on?"

Before Emma has any time to think on that, Killian hurries into the room. "We found it!" he proclaims.

Upon further search, however, they realize that the pages they need are already missing. Or torn from the book, if the marks are anything to show by.

"You found the book, Liam. Was there any evidence it had been tampered with?" Emma asks, paying attention to his body language.

"No," he replies, and Emma worries at her lie detector not tingling. He is telling the truth, and she is upset about it.

Damn, he really needs to talk to him. And Killian.

As they start splitting up to search further, Emma finally confronts Liam.

"I think you know what your unfinished business is," she says, calmly. "You just don't want to admit it."

"Oh? And who are you to tell me so? Maybe you could even elaborate on what it is?"

"I don't know. I may have an idea or two, but I don't know that much. I feel that it has to do with Killian."

"So you think I lied to my brother?"

"I don't know... yes," she admits, straightening her posture. "But I believe it was with right reason."

Liam huffs and turns around.

"I just want you to know that I have my reasons too. I don't want to bring him back just for me. I want to give him a second chance, to fix the wrong someone else did." Emma sighs. "I wanted to show you this," she says, showing him the ring Killian gave her. "Do you know what Killian told me when he gave me that? That it belonged to a much better man than him. You're his hero, and I think you know that very well."

Liam dips his head, a small smirk that is so like Killian's on his lips. "I was there for him when nobody else was, and he for me. The feeling is mutual."

"Does he know that?" she asks, almost ready to reach her point. Liam raises an eyebrow at her, looking offended. But before anyone can say anything, Killian walks up to them.

"Liam, Emma, what's going on?" he asks.

"Emma thinks I'm lying to you," Liam says without hesitation, and Killian looks back at her.

If that's how you wanna play, buddy...

"I think he knows exactly what his unfinished business is, and it has to do with you, Killian," Emma starts, bold at first, but her voice slowly drops as she sees Killian's face turn bitter, "and that he's simply not admitting it."

Killian gives a side glance at Liam, then shakes his head and turns back to Emma. "This isn't about my brother," he says.

"What is it about?" she asks, genuinely confused.

"Us. You think that proving that Liam is lying will somehow convince me that I'm a good man, that I deserve saving... and a future with you."

His words cut deeper than she could have imagined. "How can you agree with that? I came here-"

"- without even knowing what you were up against," he interrupts her. "And who is to blame you don't have the alethiometer to ask?" he asks, his face falling.

Emma looks down for a moment, remembering Killian destroying the compass in front of her eyes. She's been trying to fix it, but her magic hasn't been enough to restore it properly.

Emma looks back at Killian, his heartbroken expression tearing her apart. She knows that he wants to be with her more than anything else, but it breaks her heart that he thinks he doesn't deserve it. Because as many times as she tells him he does, he has to forgive himself first.

She walks far from the manor without even realizing it, Addar curled on her folded arms. She can tell how much he misses Esther, how upset he gets by seeing all those souls without their dæmons. She walks and walks until she hears footsteps behind her. She turns and sees it's Liam, his hands in his jacket pockets, approaching her casually.

Great. She sighs. All of her hopes of having a good relationship with Killian's family...

"Hey Emma," he says as he reaches her. "Things got a bit heated back there..."

She looks at him and vaguely wonders if "heated" is a word he would use when he was alive or if he picked it up here, in this distorted version of Storybrooke. "And?" she says simply.

Liam purses his lips in a tight smile. "I didn't really intend to come between you and Killian. I can tell you care for him, but really, Emma, I think you understand that I want what's best for him as well."

"And what is that?" she pushes, raising her eyebrows. "What do you think it is that Killian deserves?"

He sighs. "Peace. He's had a hard life. Perhaps it's time to help him-"

"Liam," Emma sighs. "How long had you been taking care of Killian?"

"Our whole childhood," he says, emphatically. "I hope you can understand that that-"

"That meant Killian learnt to hold onto you. I know why he does that, but did you ever think that he can stand on his own feet, and that you can take a step back and let him do it on his own?"

"I was just helping him."

"Exactly. When did you let him help you? Did you ever show him that you need him too? That the fact that you cared for him wasn't because you thought he was incapable of taking care of himself, but because you wanted to see him happy? Liam, you were just a kid-"

Her phrase is cut short by a high-pitched shriek coming from above the woods. Flapping sounds accompany the shriek and finally they see a Harpy emerge from behind a tree.

Immediately, Liam steps front. "Emma, step back," he says.

"But-"

"Emma, she could kill you! The worst she can do to me is... incapacitate me. She'll fly away afterwards." He turns to her and for that moment, she sees the heroic face Killian probably looked up to. So high up he probably thought he could never reach it.

The Harpy lunges forward, towards Liam. Now is probably her only chance. She pushes Liam aside and stands her height in front of the beast. Without a second thought, Emma talks to her.

"Wait! Why are you doing this?"

"Emma!" Liam says, standing up from where Emma had pushed him down.

"Wait," she says and motions him to stop. She ignores his terrified face and turns to the Harpy, who lands on her feet and watches her.

"It's my job," a rough, deep female voice comes from her mouth. "To keep things in balance."

"You feed off on people's regret. What if someone doesn't have any regrets?"

"Those souls don't belong in the Purgatory. They move on.”

"So you haven't tried plucking happy memories out of people?"

"The souls are unwilling to hand them on."

"Okay, then. How about me? I could give you a happy story," Emma says, trying to calm her erratic heartbeat and a shaking Addar on her shoulder.

The Harpy stands taller, looking at Emma. "Interesting, mortal. Why would you choose to risk your life for a dead soul? My games can't kill the dead. But you..."

"Because nobody else has done it before," Emma replies, feeling her confidence boost as the Harpy listens to her. "They have nothing left to lose, so why would they fight back?"

"But you, mortal..." the Harpy says and raises her clawed hand, letting it hover a few inches away from Emma's neck.

"Emma..." Liam whispers, but Emma calmly shushes him.

"Yes, I have something to lose. But I'm..." she takes a breath, trying to calm down from the threat the Harpy imposes, "I'm willing to show you that you're capable of more than what Hades has asked of you."

The Harpy withdraws her hand, but only slightly. Emma takes another deep breath.

"Look, I... I have regrets. I don't think there's one person in any world that doesn't. But one of- one of my biggest regrets is- is giving up on hope." Emma's voice wavers, and it takes Addar to put his tiny legs around her neck to help her steady it. "For a long time, I thought that I would never experience true love, that I would never find someone that would love me as much as I did them... and after some point, that I would be incapable of loving someone else. But now I'm here, with... with my family supporting me in something so risky, wanting to right a wrong and bring back the man I love..." her breath halts as the Harpy stretches her arm, gently placing her fingers around Emma's neck, causing Addar to withdraw on her shoulder. But the Harpy is merely touching her neck, not gripping it, and closes her eyes, breathing in...

"You're telling the truth," she says.

"Yes," Emma says and smiles. "I am. And now I truly believe that. That even if I spent so long thinking I wasn't worthy of love, now I appreciate and accept every loving gesture I get. And that could be true for all souls. No matter their unfinished business, everyone has a happy story to tell. Does it really make you happy, making them miserable?" Emma can hardly believe the words coming out of her mouth. She never thought she would be so inspired under that kind of pressure.

Finally, the Harpy breathes in one last time and withdraws her hand again, only to touch Emma's forehead for a moment before she smiles - yes, smiles - and turns around, flying away.

It's only then that Emma realizes Liam is right by her side, who catches her by her arm as she momentarily loses her balance.

"Are you alright?" he asks, his eyes wide open.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emma breathes, shocked at her own resistance.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?"

"No idea," she replies, holding Addar close to her chest, letting him nuzzle on her.

"Did you just risk your life to spare me some pain?" His face hasn't changed from the one of utter surprise he's had since the Harpy left.

"Yeah... yeah, I did." She turns to him. "How does that feel?"

Liam shakes his head. "Weird, coming from you. I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you," Emma says, turning her attention back to her dæmon. "You may get on my nerves a bit, but that's all."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I don't know, I'm feeling okay and I didn't scream, did I? Wait, were you worried?"

"Of course I was! If the Harpy killed you, how could I face Killian after? How could I have the courage to look at him after I'd failed to..." his voice trails off as he thinks. "Wait... you didn't do this on purpose, did you?"

"What? Risk my life to show you my perspective? I'm not that desperate." She looks back at Liam. "But did it do anything?"

"Well, I'm not used to being protected... and if I had failed to help you, I- I wouldn't forgive myself..."

"And do you think Killian would have blamed you?"

"No, no, he wouldn't..." he shakes his head and lets it rest on his palm. "You think that's what he needs? To learn to blame me?"

"What he needs is for us to talk to him and not about him. But I think he's put a lot of blame on himself for not being like you, and that you know that. That's why you couldn't move on."

"Because I was scared I didn't raise him to believe in himself enough," he admits.

"It's not your fault, Liam," Emma says and puts her hand on his arm, piquing his attention. "You were both very young. Killian eventually chose his path, but I think he deserves to hear it from you. That he doesn't need to hold himself to a standard he thinks is too high for him."

Liam nods. "I think we've talked enough about him. Shall we?" he says and points back to the direction of the manor with his head.

Emma watches and listens from afar as the two brothers converse on their unfinished business. Killian's denial slowly dissolves into acceptance. It must not be easy to see your role model admit to you that he’d done you wrong, that he always feared he wasn't a good enough role model in the first place.

However, she can only imagine how that must be like for Killian. "We didn't have one," Addar whispers to her and she pets his fur.

But even if Liam has admitted what his unfinished business is, there's still the matter of convincing Killian. Liam seemed to trust her after she calmed down the Harpy and probably turned her with them, but that was only the start.

Finally, Killian walks towards her, and she appreciates Liam standing back for this one. She wouldn't want this moment to feel as if she's in court, trying to convince everyone.

"Did you really stand up to a Harpy to save Liam?" Killian asks once he reaches her.

"Well, not only for Liam," she admits. "I think this Harpy might stop hurting people in general now, so that would be like, a bonus or something. Aren't you worried I did?"

He raises his eyebrows and tilts his head. "You're safe. And I'm not really surprised you took that risk." He smiles.

She smiles back. "Look, Killian, I know you think you don't deserve me coming to save you, but - let me finish," she says when she sees him purse his lips and look elsewhere, "this isn't just about me. You could have lived, Killian. We could have found another way to stop the Dark Ones and get rid of the Darkness inside us. When I saw that Gold still had magic, I felt so furious... that you were gone and lost in vain. And I wanted - still want - to make it right."

"By bringing me back?"

Emma huffs. "Okay, you know what? I'm just gonna be clear. Do you still want to make up for your past?"

Killian looks confused. "What?"

"Do you?"

"Of course I do. Why do you think-"

"And are you still willing to help us? To help others?"

"Yes," he replies in a soft voice.

"I want to give you the chance to keep doing that. I know it sounds ridiculous or crazy, but if you're judged, and if you stay here, you won't be actually able to help others. Killian... you have a life back up there, you can have the choice to do that... to forgive yourself on your own terms."

That seems to pique his interest. He looks at her, and a tiny smile appears on his lips. However, he only nods.

She leans in and puts her arms around him. He's hesitant at first, but finally he relaxes in her embrace.

Emma can't be sure, but she thinks that once Megara moved on, she was reunited with her dæmon. Hercules didn't have one to begin with, and there was so much light for Emma to see if her dæmon was back.

She keeps that to herself as Killian and Milah separate from her and Liam to say goodbye. She doesn't want to give them false hope.

Emma doesn't feel jealous, but she turns away as Milah and Killian kiss goodbye as a show of respect to their old love. Milah caresses Killian's face and walks along the bridge, stopping mid-way to wait for Liam and turns around.

Killian's face is devastating. She knows what he knows; eventually, and hopefully after many long and happy years, he will reunite with them for good. But still this doesn't stop him from embracing his brother like his life depends on it. For a few years, it probably did, Emma thinks sadly.

Eventually, the brothers separate, Liam tousles Killian's hair and finally moves to meet with Milah. Emma approaches Killian and holds his hand when she sees unshed tears in his eyes. She's never seen him cry before, and with Esther missing, she only hopes she can be enough help for what comes next. She watches Liam and Milah walk towards the light, but as she holds Killian's hand, she feels the slightest tug at it, as if he's holding himself back from following them. She looks back at him and sees tears run down his cheeks and his lower lip bit between his teeth.

Finally, the two pass the threshold. Emma can barely make out their figures, but it's enough to see a dog rubbing his head on Liam's feet, and a small animal, probably a raccoon, resting on Milah's shoulder, their humans responding to their touch with obvious happiness, before the light consumes them and they disappear from view. Emma turns to Killian, and she now spots his trembling chin.

"Alinda... Macon..." he whispers and starts sobbing, falling to his knees as Emma wraps her arms around him. Addar walks to his lap and lets Killian hold him tight to his chest as he cries, his shoulders shaking from sobs. Emma rubs circles on his back, her forehead resting on his temple, her own eyes running after a few moments. She's never seen him like this, so vulnerable, so broken, so open, even back before he was reunited with his dæmon. Now he lets Emma comfort him and touches Addar with all his love, weeping until he doesn't need it anymore. Finally, his tears dry from his face and he stands up. He looks at Emma, his eyes red, and he smiles.

"My unfinished business is defeating Hades. Then we get out of here," he says.

"We," Emma repeats and feels more tears threatening to spill.

Killian lets Addar rest on Emma's shoulder again. He pets his fur one last time before he turns to Emma again. "Yes. I’m sorry I doubted you, Emma. Nothing I can do will ever fully express my gratitude for what you've done."

He leans in, and Emma finds herself so happy she's unable to respond; so he moves for her and kisses her. She kisses back and runs one hand through his hair, the other wrapping around his waist and her leg around his. They kiss and she realizes how much she's missed it, breaking it to give him numerous kisses on his lips, which slowly lift upwards for a soft smile. She rests her forehead on his and they stay there for a while, two lost souls reunited against all odds, right in front of the pass to Heaven.

If she wasn't so damn excited, she would have wondered how weird her life has become.

She barely sleeps through the next days, though Addar dozes off once in a while as he rests on her shoulder or lap. They still have to find a way to defeat Hades, and with Zelena, her baby, and an apparently pregnant Belle ending up in the Underworld as well, things are getting even more complicated.

When she does give herself the chance to sleep, she regrets it for the nightmare it brought on her. Watching her mother die in the past was enough. Having nightmares about it happening really soon, well...

And then her mother is gone. In a good way, of course, but still Emma knows she'll miss her for the days it will get them to go back up to Storybrooke. Days... Killian senses her worry and wraps his left arm around her right one, and prompts Addar to leap on his shoulder and rest. As he does, Killian starts petting his white fur, softly combing his fingertips through the short hair. Immediately, Emma feels a warmth spreading along her spine, feeling the comforting touch on her own body. She rests her head on Killian's arm as they walk back home, rubbing his bicep with her free hand.

And finally, finally, it's over. Emma feels goosebumps in her spine, and actually sees Addar's coat rise up, as Hades himself approaches them in the middle of the street, appearing non-threatening. She still has to get used to the idea of him being in love with Zelena, of all people. She looks at Killian, who doesn't seem any less distressed. He prompts them to not trust him, but the deal he's offering, letting all of them go in exchange for help saving Zelena, sounds really tempting.

As she has to watch the God of the Dead kiss the Wicked Witch of the West, she hides Addar's disgusted face from them and turns around as well, not wanting to have this image engraved in her memory. However, as she feels the wave of a True Love's Kiss spread around, she looks back at them.

"I held up my end of the deal. Now it's your turn," she says with confidence, unwilling to give Hades any opportunity to pull back.

She would have thought that having her name removed from a gravestone would make her feel something. Well, apart from the obvious joy that they can finally go back home, all of them, she doesn't feel anything else. But this isn't important now.

"We're free to go through the portal when it opens," she says to Killian. "It's time to split my heart so you can leave with us."

Back home. Him, and Esther. She really can't believe how much she's missed her. She can only hope the dæmon won't remember missing any of them.

"Aye, love," he says and he gives her a smile, though it looks uncertain. She knows it's only leftover fear over what she's about to do.

So she turns to Regina and she nods. Regina nods back and shoves her hand in her chest, as smoothly as one can do that. It still catches her breath, and Emma has to consciously stop herself from blasting Regina away, to let her do what she has to do. Finally, her heart is in Regina's hands, which break it in two with ease. Emma barely looks at her heart, taking the one half and turning towards Killian. She sees him raise his shoulders, take one last look at the half heart and close his eyes. With all her thoughts focusing on her hope, she pushes her heart against Killian's chest.

It feels worse than anything she's felt before. Her breath is gone, her knees go weak and she feels all lost again. It only lasts a second, as long as it takes for Regina to put the two halves together and then the whole heart back in her chest. She finds her footing and grabs onto Killian.

"Why didn't it work?" she mutters breathlessly. It should have worked... her parents, it worked with them.

"I told you we couldn't trust him!" Killian shouts, looking back at Hades.

"That wasn't me," the god says, appearing calm. Did he already know? He goes on about how David was saved because his soul didn't even go to Underworld before they revived him.

"So Killian's been down here too long?" Emma asks, panic rising in her voice. No...

"His dæmon turned into Dust and flew away. Now there's not enough Dust settled on him for the dæmon to come back."

Emma turns to Killian, his face crumpled in sadness. She lowers her eyes from his face, and feels him finally take a breath, if only to speak.

"Well Emma, it appears you have to return without me," he says, all certainty gone from his voice. Emma shakes her head and opens her eyes again.

"There has to be another way," Addar whispers to him.

"Addar, please," Killian begs.

"You're telling me no one's gone to the Underworld and brought someone back?" As she speaks, she feels her confidence rise up again, her voice becoming steadier with each word. Finally, she sees uncertainty cross Hades' face. "They have," she whispers. "Who? Who did? How?"

"It was a long time ago, and it was a rumour," Hades admits. "There's no proof it actually worked."

It works for us, Addar thinks and Emma hears the thought in her mind. "Tell us everything," she tells him, feeling Killian nuzzle into her hair. She closes her eyes and wraps one arm around his back, holding him close. They can do this.

All it takes, Hades says, is for a living person to follow a dead soul into the Mist. The living soul will be tested, and if they pass the test they will manage to find the tree of ambrosia. Eating from its fruits would give off enough Dust for Esther to come back.

Back. Killian's face lights up at the mention.

"Are you sure you'll be okay alone down there?" David asks her as they're about to descend.

"You've done enough," Emma says emphatically. "Stay here and make sure you go through the portal if we don't make it back."

"You will make it back," Henry says and hugs her. She turns and hugs her father too, Addar leaping on Rydel's back and hugging her back.

With a final nod, Emma, Addar and Killian step into the elevator.

Their destination is unsurprisingly a cave. They step out and after a few steps they see a wide opening in the cave, like an exit; a light mist starting at the end of it, covering what seems to be grass. They move on, their hands holding each other's, Emma confident but Killian still a little anxious.

"We'll be okay," she tells him, caressing his hand with her thumb.

"I know, I know, love." He takes a breath. "It's just... about that test..."

"We'll make it. I didn't come all the way down here to stop now." She smiles at him, and he tries to smile back. It's tentative, but it seems real.

"Aye. We'll see Esther again."

It's his look that shows how much he's missed her, the dæmon that was his soul and mind.

"Yes," Emma says softly.

"Do you think she'll appear right there? Right after her Dust comes back?"

She smiles. "We'll have to wait and see, I guess."

"You know, I... I never told you about... seeing you when I first came to Storybrooke."

"You what?"

"I saw you. I mean, I was far, far from you, but suddenly you appeared in my vision. First it was at the town line, after Gold attacked me for shooting Belle. Then it was while I was being held hostage by Tamara."

Emma drops her head, thinking. Those were the two times she saw Esther in her cage before finally freeing her. "And you never imagined what it truly was."

"I had convinced myself that Esther was gone, I... I just thought it was my mind playing tricks on me."

"Tormenting you with images of me?" she says with a smirk.

Killian simply huffs a laugh. Emma looks back forward.

"That's the Mist," she says, pointing forward. "It can't be that far now."

In front of them they see a small pier hovering above a long lake. On the other side there's another pier, barely seen through the thick mist covering the air above the lake. On the end of their pier a boat floats on the water and a tall, slender figure with a hooded cape stands on its bow, holding an oar.

"The ferryman," Killian whispers. Emma nods and holds his hand tighter. She feels Addar shiver around her neck, terror creeping up on him.

"Shh, shh, it's alright," she whispers to her dæmon.

They reach the end of the pier and look at the boat. It seems small, big enough to hold only one person and the ferryman. They look up at him.

"We want to reach the other side," Emma demands, another shiver running down Addar's spine.

"You may step in, but only one at a time," the figure says, voice a whisper but loud enough for them to hear.

Killian looks at Emma with worry. "You will come back for the other?"

"I shall," the figure says.

Killian breathes out a sigh and looks at her again. He nods, and Addar looks up at him, a soft whimper escaping his little mouth.

"Hey, it's alright," Killian says, stroking the ferret's white fur. "I'll just be on the other side, waiting for you two."

Killian's touch doesn't seem to do anything to calm down the dæmon. Emma takes him and hugs him against her chest, soothing him with her thoughts. It will be okay.

She knows, deep inside, she knows that Addar wants to tell her it's a bad idea, maybe Hades has tricked them. But he loves Killian too, as much as she does, and he can't pass up the chance to save him.

Emma turns to Killian and nods, slowly letting go of his hand as he steps into the boat. Slowly, the ferryman rows them towards the opposite pier, Killian's eyes never leaving Emma's. Addar grows more and more anxious by the moment.

It's okay, it's okay...

The boat reaches the opposite pier, and Killian steps out, seemingly unharmed. The boat comes back, and Addar can't stop shivering and whimpering now.

"Emma..." he rasps.

"Shh, it's alright-"

"I don't like this," he whispers and buries his face into her chest. Emma strokes his fur helplessly.

Finally, the boat reaches her pier, and she goes to step on it.

"Only one," the ferryman says.

"What?" she says, half-dazed from Addar's trembling.

"Only one may step in the boat," he repeats, one skeleton finger pointing at the ferret on her chest.

"But... we are one. I can't let go of him."

"You may both step in, but the boat will leave only if there's one on it."

Emma looks up towards Killian, terrified. It's too far away. The farthest she's ever been from Addar is a couple of yards. And now...

"Emma..."

"I can't lose him, he is me, a part of me."

"Isn't that what you're willing to give up?"

Her heart.

Half her heart, half her soul.

Half her dæmon.

Addar reads her thoughts.

"No!" he says, but it's weak, because he wants what she wants with the same passion.

But it hurts Emma too, the thought of leaving him here, alone...

"I'll be back, as fast as I can," she pleads and starts lowering him to the ground.

Addar shakes his head. He tries to claw onto her jacket, his tiny paws unable to let her go.

"Addar, please..." her voice is a whisper now. Addar lets out a sob and Emma feels tears prickle her eyes. She wants to look at Killian, gather courage from him, but in this moment all she can do is look at Addar's pained face as she steps on the boat.

As soon as both her feet are in it, the boat starts moving. Addar's paws slip from Emma's fingers, and she desperately watches him curl into a ball and weep.

She tries not to count the distance. She's too shocked to count correctly anyway, but she gives up the moment she feels an iron hand clutch at her heart. It's hot, as if drawn from fire, and it feels like it's trying to pull her heart out right there. Not like magic. Just pure pain. She falls on her knees, clutching at her torso with her arms and cries. Tears run down her cheeks, a despair she's never felt before clawing its way inside of her.

Abandoned, all alone... every time she was left behind flashes in her mind...

And she did that to herself...

She weeps and cries and doesn't realize she's reached the other pier even when Killian's arms wrap around her and hold her tightly from behind. He buries his face in her neck, his cold breath a blessing on her skin, his hand rubbing on her arm. And she cries.

"Shh, shh, Emma, he's alright."

She hears him but the words don't register.

"He's alright, he's safe, waiting for you..."

She sobs. Addar is all alone...

"You'll find him. He's waiting for you and you'll find him. Feel him, you can do that."

She tries to listen to him through her sobs.

"He's right on the other side, not going anywhere. Feel him, Emma."

She tries that. What she feels is pain and despair, but at least it's there.

"Addar..." she whispers and looks up. The mist has gotten heavier, and she can't see the other pier anymore, though she can still feel Addar's presence, as strong as ever.

She takes a few ragged breaths that don't manage to calm her down. Killian keeps rubbing at her arm and she suddenly realizes. She turns and looks at him. At first his head is still dipped down, but she raises his chin with her hand. His eyes are teary and his expression is almost as pained as hers must be. The words he told her... his own voice breaking while he soothed her...

That must have been how it felt like for him when he first lost Esther.

His expression turns into a guilty one. She wants to tell him it's not his fault, it was her choice... but she still can't utter any words. So she leans in and kisses his lips. He kisses back, if only tentatively, and keeps his arms around her.

"I didn't want you to do this..." he says after he breaks the kiss.

"Shh," Emma says and holds him tight. She turns back and realizes the ferryman is gone from the boat. Well, they'll have to row back themselves. She hopes - she knows Addar will be waiting for her, and when they do come back, Esther will be with them too.

Reunited against all odds.

She's still in agonizing pain, but she knows they have to go on.

"Come on," she tells Killian, and he stands up. He supports her while she stands up on shaky legs, hand resting on her pained chest. They turn forward and they see the Mist clear out, revealing a small field under an amber-coloured sky, a tree on its center. Ambrosia.

"That was it," Emma whispers. The test she had to pass. Killian strokes her arm gently but doesn't say anything back.

They walk slowly but steadily toward the tree, though something looks weird with it. They realize what's wrong as soon as they take a better look at it.

It's cut.

Half of its trunk and its branches have fallen on the ground, rotten-looking fruit spread out around them. Emma lowers herself to the ground slowly, touching one fruit. It dissolves into dust, as if it never existed.

"The ambrosia are dead," she mutters.

Hades tricked them. Killian grabs her by the hand and pulls her away before she even manages to search for a seed, one good-looking fruit, anything.

"There's no telling what Hades has done to your family!" she hears him say, but her mind is set on finding a way. They have to-

He makes an abrupt stop when they reach the end of the pier. Emma looks at the thick mist in front of her. Addar is waiting on the other side, but she can’t see him now, only feel him and only if she focuses on it.

She finds herself half-walking into the boat, but Killian hasn't moved an inch.

"What is it?" The boat can hold them both now, why isn't he coming?

"I'm not going back with you," he says.

She looks him in the eye. He can't be-

He's serious.

"No. Killian, I came to the Underworld to save you." She hates how weak her voice sounds. "I'm not going back without you."

"I'm afraid we don't have that choice, love," he whispers. He can't mean it.

She looks back at him, stricken, and swallows hard.

"Look, I just want to say my goodbyes down here, without everyone watching." His voice is still a whisper, as if he's scared of how it might sound if he raises it just a bit.

"No," she says, desperate, determined.

"We've already had more time than we were ever meant to."

"That's not true."

"We both know it is." His face breaks down in sadness, despite his attempts to keep it straight. She knows how much he's trying, but all she wants is to fucking follow her-

"You should have let me go in Camelot," he finally says, and all her determination shatters. She didn't listen to him, the one time he begged for something in return... "Don't make that mistake again."

How? How is she supposed to do that? She knows she has to, but... it's all wrong, and she's too scared and in pain...

"I just..." she manages. "I don't know how to say goodbye," she confesses and she feels tears come back.

"Then don't," he says and moves closer to her, a tiny, brave smile on his lips that falls way too fast.

"Just promise me one thing." His hand is on her cheek, barely even touching her as if afraid she'll go away, and his head drops down as he continues. "If I helped you trust in love again, don't pull away from it just because you're going to lose me."

He cries. This is nothing like saying goodbye to Milah and Liam, this isn't bursting out. He's crying right now, for this moment, and her own tears start falling too.

She wraps her arms around him and feels his hand brush into her hair. "I promise," she says. She doesn't know how she'll manage to do that, to open up her heart to love again, but she can try, for him. For the man who saw her as she was and loved her for it, who did his best to bring her up and never asked of anything... she can't just go without making sure he'll try to be happy as well.

"But then you have to promise me something too," she says with a broken voice, stepping out of their embrace. "Don't let me be your unfinished business. Move on from here, don't wait for me to show up."

He tries to smile through his tears. "Aye, love. I think I can manage that."

Lie. Lie, lie, lie, she thinks, but it's the only thing she can hold onto. Hoping that soon it won't be a lie and he'll find a way to move on.

They can't stop looking at each other, but gently, Killian pushes her to step in the boat. He says nothing, though she knows he has so much to tell her.

With her one foot on the pier and the other in the boat, a realization seems to hit him.

"I love you," he says and leans down to kiss her.

"I love you too." They kiss, and it's bittersweet. It's full of a desperate hope to not let go, to let Killian come as far as he can with her...

But they have to stop it here. The closer they are to the portal, the more painful it will be. And he wanted the moment to be just for them...

He didn't even say goodbye to Addar. A sob escapes her at that thought, as she touches her forehead to his.

With one final smile, Killian steps back, and she reaches for his hand. It has to be her, to take the final step in the boat. So she does.

They're both crying and the boat starts moving. Killian holds her hand tight, his thumb caressing her fingers as she unwillingly moves away from him. Before she’s too far away, he leans in and kisses her hand, looking at her with teary eyes on the last kiss, when she’s gone too far for his lips to reach it.

A sob escapes her and she stretches, as does he, trying to hold on to each other as long as possible. Eventually, their fingers slip from each other’s even as Killian struggles to hold on to hers. His hand drops, but Emma’s stays a little extended as her knees give out and she sits down on the boat.

She looks at his face, his pained, tear-stained face, and slowly loses focus as more and more mist is put between them.

When she’s sure she can’t see him anymore, she hears a soft thud; her heart breaks further when she realizes it was the sound of Killian’s knees hitting the wooden pier.

Her tears have dried by the time she reaches the other pier; this whole time, she’d almost forgotten her pain of being separated from Addar.

She steps quickly on the pier as soon as the boat stops moving and looks around.

“Addar?” she says softly.

The only response she gets is a soft whimper coming from ahead. Addar reveals himself, his face down but having stopped whimpering.

“Oh, Addar…” she says and picks him up, and finally the pain is over. She’s hugging him close when she feels the ground shake.

“The portal…” he says.

Emma nods. She turns and looks back. The boat is gone already, but she knows Killian won’t return so fast.

“He’ll wait until we’re gone,” Addar whispers and Emma sobs again. “We have to go,” he adds and pats her chest with his paws.

More tears coming back, Emma turns to the entrance of the cave, her steps heavy. She takes one last look at the empty pier, feeling empty herself, and then steps into the elevator.

Addar doesn’t ask her what happened. He already knows.

But it’s still hard when she has to explain to everyone - even her mother once they’re back - why Killian couldn’t come with them.

It was all for nothing, and now they even have an unleashed Hades in Storybrooke, ready to cause havoc.

The only thing Emma manages to convince Gold to help with is the alethiometer. With his new-found power, he succeeds in restoring it.

Much good it does her, though. She realizes she can’t read it anymore, no matter how hard she tries.

It hits her like yet another loss.

Later, after Killian has sent the pages they needed and they defeat Hades, she decides to spend a few more hours in the library to research on it. Anything to postpone having to go to the hospital, lift the preservation spell from Killian’s body and move on with the funeral procedure.

As she does, she realizes Addar can walk as far from her as he wants. Again, they don’t actually desire to be apart from each other, especially now, but at least it won’t hurt them again - exactly how Killian and Esther were.

She finds about one of the compass’s previous owners, Lyra Belacqua, who at the age of only twelve knew how to read the compass flawlessly, just like Emma used to do. However, after she also went to the Underworld to save her friend’s soul, she also lost her ability to read it by nature, and only managed it again later in her life after careful study on it.

Emma knows she has no mood to become a scholar for the compass’s sake.

“It’s time,” Addar finally says, even though he’s as unwilling to do it as Emma is.

When the sheet is lifted and Emma sees Killian’s body, still in the clothes he died in and the wound on his neck still intact, she breaks down. He was pale in the Underworld, but not as much as… this. She promised herself that she would bring him back, and now...

“I’m sorry.” She touches his cold forehead with her hand. “I hope you’re in a better place now… and I want to be happy about it but that means you’re really gone and…”

She bursts out in sobs. She takes her hand away to hold Addar close to her chest, and cries.

Finally, she takes a steady breath. Pushing herself forward, she waves her hand above Killian’s body and lifts the spell.

She lets out another sob and turns away.

“I miss you,” she whispers.

A gust of wind suddenly knocks her a few steps ahead, and she barely manages to stay up from its force. She looks at Addar, who also looks confused, but he seems alright.

“Swan?” they hear.

Emma whips back. She would recognize his voice anywhere, but it can’t be…

Yet there he is, his natural colour back and his blue eyes open, looking at her. Specks of Dust start gathering on his chest and morph into Esther.

“Killian,” she says and stays frozen for a second before she runs to him.

He carefully rises from the table and has barely stood up when she collides with him, crashing her lips to his. His kiss is finally warm, and living, and real. She feels Addar jump from her shoulder to wrap his body around Esther’s neck, touching her and feeling her again after so long.

She tries to get him to explain what happened, but she’s too busy kissing him and seeing him smile and feeling him to actually hear what he’s saying, so she resorts to saying she doesn’t care how it all happened.

“I’m just glad you’re here,” she says and buries her face in the crook of his neck, finally feeling his warmth.

“I’m so happy you’re alright,” Killian responds and hugs her tight.

When they pull back, they look down on Esther, still being peppered by love from Addar. Killian then looks back at Emma.

“I think there will be no better time, right love?”

Emma nods, her hands still on Killian’s arms as if he’ll go away if she lets go. Killian crouches down and picks up the two dæmons, holding Esther close. Esther rubs her head on his shoulder, and Emma knows she’s talking to him, and she can’t be happier to see the relief on his face on finally having her again by his side.

“You ready?” he tells Emma.

“Are you ready?” she says back, directed both at Killian and Esther. He simply nods and extends his arms a little.

Emma raises her hand and slowly, carefully, touches Esther’s head. She hears Killian giggle at the touch, and it’s like music to her ears. She looks at him, her tears now of happiness, and puts her own arms carefully around Esther’s body. They all lean onto each other, Emma’s and Killian’s foreheads touching as they wrap their arms together around their dæmons.

Reunited against all odds.

Together again.

Notes: If I'd begun writing this after Wilby was introduced in the show, I would have chosen that name for David's dæmon. Alas, my fic came first.

For anyone wondering about Robin, yes, he’s still alive and well in this ‘verse.

I have a lot of thoughts about this verse! This may be the final chapter, but I’m planning on writing more separate scenes that didn’t make it to the original chapters, like Killian’s POV from certain points - seeing Emma through Esther’s eyes, reuniting with Esther at the end of Season 2, trying to navigate through New York with her by his side... and perhaps a few flashbacks from any time, with Liam, or Milah, or even Nemo and Liam II, or a few scenes from Season 6. It will all depend on how inspired I get :)

#Captain Swan #cs ff #I have to recheck the other two chapters and then post the whole thing in AO3...#CS x HDM #DoAK #piracytheorist writes

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astrologista · 7 years

Text

Proper Caution (wip)

Universe : DCAU

Characters : Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake (the teamup that never was)

[I wanted to try to write a JLU episode that I felt was “missing” and would have been a great team-up opportunity. So because of that, this fic should be thought of as being set in the JLU animated verse. Basically, this whole fic is an excuse to have that teamup happen. This is meant to be a big multi-chapter thing that I’m not used to writing. I might post it up on AO3 if I ever finish it. Also this fic inspires me. A lot.]

Plot: Superman is off-world. Batman and Green Arrow (along with their ex- and current sidekicks) team up in Metropolis to take down R'as al Ghul in his attempt to regain a Lazarus Pit lost to him many years ago that is positioned underneath Metropolis, since some of his other sites have been compromised. R'as and Talia will show up to take back what's theirs. But, the Team will have to work together to stop their plot. Dick and Roy have to deal with Tim tagging along and Bruce and Ollie have to accept the fact that they're getting older, both themselves and their boys.

PROLOGUE On an uncharted island of West Polynesia...

Amid the acrid scent of incense mixed with the fragrance of juniper flowers, Talia al Ghul carefully supervised the excavation of a lost artifact - a Lazarus Pit, lost to her father about 360 years prior, to natives who claimed its powers were not meant for the use of man, or woman for that matter.

"Carefully. Clear a space for the drill."

Her command fell on most obedient ears. Expensive equipment had been procured, only the best for such a procedure, and brought a mile and a half beneath the island to this dark crypt lost to time.

Talia watched with a scrutinizing gaze as her orders were carried out to the letter by her father's retainers. They knew to be careful, at the cost of their lives.

R'as himself was becoming slightly more haggard by the day. Rejuvenation was available at the few Pits he still controlled, but R'as was convinced that the power of said Pits continued to wane with the passing years, making them less and less potent with their effects becoming less and less noticeable. A Pit that had had centuries to fester and bubble, he reasoned, would certainly be more potent - that, and he was never a man to lose something that rightfully belonged to his legacy and longevity.

Now R'as approached the worksite where his minions worked mechanically, without rest, to uncover the Pit.

"Progress, my daughter."

Talia dutifully answered. "Father, we are about to penetrate into the chamber of the Pit. "

R'as smiled thinly. "Then let us step back and witness this moment of glory."

The massive drill roared to life, sending a group of bats far above to squeaking and fluttering in protest. R'as watched with a marked intensity.

For several minutes, the diamond-tipped, ludicrously expensive instrument bored away at layers of rock and rubble. As the wall gave way, however, everyone present became aware of something else happening.

Great cracks appeared in the wall, spreading like a spiderweb of destruction, and soon a rumbling could be heard from above.

"Farran, cease this! Stop the drill!" R'as voice was like a sharp knife through the din. But it had to be said, else Farran would not stop the drill, even if the crypt came down on his head right then, unless he was told so by his master.

Luckily, he had heard this command, immediately shutting off the massive drill. Quickly, Ubu manuevered to his Master's side to ensure his safety, whether he wished to stay or depart.

Obviously, the sane choice was to leave. R'as wasn't known for being a sane man, but he was adept at survival.

"Father, we must go! This crypt is doomed!" Talia called, her voice of a controlled type of fear that comes with long life.

With a last look at the now unearthed Pit, R'as saw that its contents had dried up or been funneled away long ago. There was nothing of use here.

Another loss.

Though the crypt collapsed about him, pieces of stone ceiling falling from high above, bats screeching, floor shaking, R'as found himself stopping simply to know the feeling of this loss.

The same feeling that pervaded his senses whenever Batman intervened in his carefully-formed plans.

Always rage.

"Father! We must go!" Snapped back to the task at hand - survival - by his daughter, R'as swept away accompanied by Ubu to the secret elevator of the crypt. It would hold only R'as, Ubu, and Talia - no others were worthy.

Those minions would be taking the stairs. For a mile and a half.

Now on the surface, R'as watched as the crypt itself collapsed into the chamber of the Lazarus Pit. His Lazarus Pit. It left a cloud of dust like a smoke signal.

Rage.

Talia observed, "After the volcanic eruptions on this island 100 years ago, the underlying ground became unstable. Drilling into the inaccessible chamber resulted in failure."

Farran, who had been operating the drill, immediately fell to his knees in front of his master, begging for forgiveness. He was dragged away by two other ninja - his fate would be decided.

Talia continued to muse, "Father, you said there was another Pit that had been lost to you."

R'as' face twisted strangely. "Yes, daughter. We shall depart for it with all haste."

Retrieving a communicator from his cape, R'as spoke to his pilot, who had been hovering above the island. "Sarangul. Prepare for departure immediately. Our mission was a failure, but our next one will not be."

Talia knew that look on her Father's face. The one he used as he charged into battle, assured of victory. Eyes like fire, the fire of a Demon, the fires of Hell and the Demon's Head.

"Bring us to the United States. I have business in the city of Metropolis."

---

Ch.1.

---

"You've gotta be kidding."

Roy Harper must have read the mission briefing ten times. No. Twenty.

Going to Metropolis? That was cool. Cool city. No arguments there. Meet some chicks, see some flicks, the whole deal. The League would put him up in a sweet hotel, with a fridge full of free soda, and everything for the duration of the mission. Absolutely a sweet deal for being a reserve Leaguer.

And working with Nightwing? Awesome. Great guy, could fight with the best and was one of the few leaguers around Roy's age, so it was easy to find stuff to talk about in terms of pop culture, video games, martial arts, whatever. Just an all-around great guy, easy to get along with, easy to talk to, amazing. Nothing would be cooler than just hanging out with the 'Wing in a sweet hotel in a sweet city, if Roy had anything to say about it.

But just like anything in this job, there had to be problems. Three of them, to be exact.

The other members on the brief - well, one of them wasn't even a member, to be technical. Robin. Roy couldn't help but think it was a pretty weird choice. He was okay with the little munchkin tagging along, had met him a few times. Roy couldn't think of much to say about him other than that he was tiny and also a pain in the ass at times, basically the definition of a little kid brother. Anyway, it would seriously cut in to bro time if Nightwing had to babysit.

But apparently, that wouldn't be a problem. Batman was apparently on their team as well. Batman. The Batman. It made sense when Roy considered that they were going to be running surveillance on gang activity in Metropolis while Superman punched space robots out in the cosmos. But Batman hanging out in their hotel suite was awkward enough, without...

Oliver. Wasn't that just the cherry on top of the awkward sundae. The Martian man must really be out of line still with Earth culture if he thought this was a decent teamup to put together. But no problem, really.

Just two young guys trying to prove their independence as ex-sidekicks, accompanied basically by their father figures and one seriously annoying brat who was way too smart for his own good. And who was also currently a sidekick.

The weekend was gonna be interesting, to say the least.

Roy wasn't really worried, but as a pre-emptive strike he thought it was only fair to meet with Dick and get some kind of alliance going, seeing as they were in essentially the same boat.

Metropolis' Hightower Cafe had free Wifi, anyway. He could easily stream vids and that was a pretty good deal. It meant he could watch the livestream of his college's graduation ceremony.

He'd graduated some months before, in December. It meant he didn't get to walk for graduation, but the ability to sweep out early and continue with more... pressing work was just too attractive to pass up.

Speaking of attractive... Shannon Haight was taking her diploma now. They'd dated for three months. She was a control freak, but God if he didn't miss the smile he was seeing now from his Ipad.

It was nice to be normal for once. Just hanging out with a cute chick, no commitments. Carefree.

The League was basically the opposite of that. But it drew him in anyway, because if he became a member it'd be much easier to get away from the stigma of the sidekick role. He could be recognized as his own hero. To his dismay, he'd only been offered a reserve position. The League's equivalent of a college's waitlist. Basically, the bench. They'd only call him in if they absolutely needed him, and it was only very rarely that they had any particular need for a non-meta. At least if you were a reserve meta, you had a chance of getting called in, say if they needed a bunch of firepower or water power and you had the goods.

But he remained only a last resort.

Nightwing was an amazing fighter. That was why they offered him full-time membership. He'd passed the tests with flying colors, apparently. But he only accepted a reserve position. After all, he had an entire, very corrupt city to fight for in Bludhaven.

Right now, the man himself was strolling into the Hightower, three minutes early.

Grayson grinned with the convivial knowledge of an inside joke as he sat down across from Roy. "Don't you think this is gonna be a fun weekend? I think this is gonna be a fun weekend." Roy sighed like a man carrying a ton of bricks on his back. "Man, can you believe? Free hotel suite WITH chaperones. And a little kid."

Dick shrugged with a what-are-you-gonna-do affect. "I'm sure they won't set bedtime too early." Then he got a bit serious. Dick was good at that, going from jocular to a bit serious.

"Look, we're independent agents now. Not their little helpers. They're pretty smart guys, I'm sure they'll treat us like the mature adults we are. They're not our bosses, anyway - they have no power over us, Roy. We can stay out 'til the sun comes up and they can't say boo."

Roy didn't look exactly convinced. "We're probably not gonna get any good action, you know. They're gonna end up taking it over, I'm sure. And we'll be stuck with the kid, probably shaking down schoolyard bullies and shoplifters."

Dick held up a finger. "Now don't go underestimating Tim. He's stronger than he looks."

"I'm sure he is, dude."

A little silence never hurt, in Roy's experience anyhow.

Dick was good at changing the subject. "How's college?"

"Eh. Finished a few months ago."

"That's cool, you get your degree?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, that's great!"

"Hey, thanks. Busted my balls getting this one philosophy class finished up. Pain in the ass."

"That sounds rough."

"Yeah, it was. Got it done though."

"Awesome."

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence extended itself. Roy knew they were... acquaintances, to say the least, but not necessarily friends to the point where they could maintain a comfortable silence for longer than a few minutes without it becoming uncomfortable quite quickly.

Roy's phone buzzed just then, which was kind of a relief.

"It's... Oliver. We were supposed to be at the room for meet and greet shit at 2:30."

"Time's it?" "2:31. Classic Ollie."

"We should probably head over there."

"I guess we should."

---

[Insert looots scenes here of Bruce and Oliver being awkward dads.]

---

[Pretty much a lot of the scenes are like this... Bruce basically forgetting that Dick and Roy are older than Tim lol. Also something happens at dinner in which Tim is a little shit and apparently Roy is his mortal enemy now. We shall call this the “dinner incident”. Also, there’s a running joke where Ollie is constantly calling Roy “Speedy” and not “Red Arrow”.]

[In this scene, I guess I was thinking that both Dick, Roy and Tim are temporarily banned from hero business for whatever reason by their guardians. Essentially they’re grounded.]

"So what are we watching?" Dick inquired.

"Oh, nothing much. Rented the Saw trilogy." Roy grinned.

"Pretty good. Wanna play a game?"

"Funny. Yeah, actually I do. Some COD?"

"Sounds good."

It was just their luck that Tim should walk in a few minutes later when they had gotten into playing.

Roy sneered, not having gotten over the Dinner Incident yet. "What'cha want, twerp? You want us to switch to Mario Kart so you can play?"

"Um, I've played Call of Duty before. Dick, can I have a controller?"

The kid was decent at playing. Bruce was right - he did have a tactical mind. He tired quickly, though.

Dick noticed. "Tim, go to bed. It's a big day tomorrow, right?"

Tim decided not to suppress his yawn now that his tiredness was obvious. "'Kay. Night, Dick. Night, Speedy."

"Sleep tight, kiddo." Dick had that stupid sappy big brother smile on his face again.

The kid left, presumably for bed, and they got in about ten more minutes of play before Bruce's voice rumbled quite close which made Roy flinch a bit because he didn't hear him come in.

"Are you going to be watching these?"

Bruce was holding the Saw DVDs.

Dick answered. As always. "Yup, we're gonna have a movie night while you guys go out. Have fun. Don't worry about us."

Bruce was looking straight at Roy as he spoke. "These look too intense..."

Dick cringed imperceptibly.

"...for Tim."

What a save. Dick spoke up, "Let me redefine 'we'. 'We' refers to Roy and I, actually. Tim's going to sleep, okay? Nothing to worry about."

Bruce didn't look happy about it, but he put the DVDs down, muttered "I hope not" and stalked away, leaving them be.

Roy felt himself breathe again.

---

[Insert more scenes]

#dcau #specs fic #this i wrote long ago #i forgot exactly where i was going with it

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