The Orphans

Sacrifices

Meg returned to the Underworld and waited for Hades to appear. It didn't take long; only a matter of five minutes. She clutched the glass that held Emma's blood tightly to her chest.

"Where is Hercules," she demanded. She had to know before she gave him what he needed.

"I have him, if that's what you mean." Meg closed her eyes and thrust out her hand, giving him the glass. He took it gratefully, a sudden smile grew across his grey skin. "But he doesn't want to see you." She opened her eyes wide in shock.

"You-you're lying," she spluttered.

"Try me," he retorted. "I don't have time for this." He paused. "Oh, wait. I do. You see, Meg, I want Miss Swan to watch as I destroy her family. And in order for that to happen, she needs to be out of the hospital. But I also can't have you running around looking for your long lost lover." With a wave of his hand, Meg disappeared.

-

Two weeks had passed since Emma's accident, and she was bored out of her mind. Everyone knew by now that Emma had her memories back, but there was something that they weren't telling her. It had to involve the screaming she'd heard coming from David and Hook on the night of her accident.

Sighing, she looked down at her left leg, which was heavily bandaged and with a cast. Her head still have a slight pounding at all times, and it intensified whenever she started stressing too much.

Emma tried her best not to think about the deal she made with Hades. The others claimed that they didn't even know that Geppetto was planning on sacrificing himself to bring her back. Maybe it was fate. After all, Hades needed Emma alive to get what he wanted.

Killian walked in the room, breaking Emma's train of thought. She had to know.

"You told them, didn't you?" He gave her a dumbfounded look. "The night of the accident. You told them about our deal with Hades, didn't you?"

He walked forwards and grabbed Emma's hand, holding it tightly between his. "They made me, love. Regina used some spell that made me tell them about the deal." He paused. "But I didn't tell them how to stop him."

Emma swallowed heavily. "Good. Because when Hades comes, I'm stopping him." Killian widened his eyes in horror.

"Emma, please. No. We can't lose you again. I can't lose you again," he pleaded.

"There's no other way," she whispered back. "We can't let him make this town his new Underworld."

He kept trying to convince her not to stop him. "Emma, we both know that he'll just be sent back to the Underworld. And we know the price of magic that is needed to stop him."

Emma leaned forward and grabbed his other hand. "That's all the more reason to enjoy the small moments."

-

Hades and Nemue stood at the cauldron, reading to enact the curse. Once Hades were to drop the final ingredient in, all of the Underworld residents, along with Hades, would go up into the overworld and turn it into the new Underworld. They both smiled.

"After spending centuries of being stuck with just this," he said, "I can finally rule the real Storybrooke. It's time for those heroes to learn that villains are ready to kill them once and for all."

He turned to Nemue, who handed him the container. Popping the lid open, Hades turned the vile over and poured the red liquid inside. The purple haze instantly began flowing out of the cauldron and in a matter of seconds, the whole of the Underworld was engulfed.

-

Emma felt a sudden change in the air, as though a dark force appeared. She looked desperately into Killian's eyes.