The Orphans

Trust

"Hello, Regina," Cora spoke. "Long time no see." She gave a sideways glance at Snow as she said that. Snow visibly winced. Cora snickered at everyone's befuddlement. She turned back to face Regina and grabbed her shoulders.

"I hear that you're looking for Emma. I can help." She tried to read her daughter's gaze. Confusion, hope, and love.

Killian wasn't so easily fooled. "Why should we trust you?" His eyes were filled with suspicion. Cora sighed.

"Being here has changed me, Captain. It's changed all of us. You should remember that much, at least. Don't tell me that Hades' potion made you forget your time here?"

He glared at her. "I remember all of it. But apparently we seem to have different memories on what happened down here."

-

Emma walked up to Killian and sighed. "We have a new job," she said, clearly unenthusiastic.

He frowned. Both of them hated receiving new jobs from Hades, but they didn't dare say no. That would result in their own demolition. They'd already seen what happened when someone disobeyed him.

Liam had refused to go into the forbidden forest, insisting that he'd rather die again than face the hallucinations caused. He'd shuddered when he told them of his last encounter in them and how he had hallucinations for days.

Emma and Killian had to watch as Hades crushed the man's heart in front of them, to show them an example of what to expect. She had had to hold Killian back to prevent her love from trying to attack Hades. Liam's eyes became dull, without emotion, and he became one of the many lonesome ghouls.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he asked, "What this time?"

"We have to go through the forbidden forest to receive our instructions..." She was as irritated as Killian. They never talked about the forests because of the incident.

"Actually, There's something for you to retrieve right in the heart of the forest," a woman's voice rang out. Cora's. A wicked smile was on her face.

Emma lifted her head. "And why should we listen to you?"

"Because if you don't," she said, making a heart appear, "then I will crush Graham's heart."

Emma's mouth had dropped open, and they both went and retrieved the item. It was in a locked box so neither knew what it even was. When they returned and delivered the box, Cora appeared again, this time with Graham.

His face had been contorted with pain.

"You foolish girl," Cora said, crushing his heart, just as her daughter had when Emma first arrived in Storybrooke. "You really should've seen this coming."

-

Cora scoffed. "I was under orders by Hades, dear," she said. "I couldn't risk my own heart for his."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Regina looked desperate.

"You don't. But I do. If you can show me that mirror Hades gave you, I can bring Emma to us."

Killian was still unsure. "Then prove to us that we can trust you. Tell us why Hercules is allied with Hades. And where's Megara?"

Cora smile sadly and sat down on a chair. "There was once a time when Hercules -when he and Megara were mortals- stood up to Hades. Megara was on his side, and they knew how to defeat him. All they needed was to sacrifice one of their lives. They both did. But something went wrong. The information they'd seen was conjured up by Hades and he took Hercules away."

"Megara was desperate to have him back, so she made a deal with Hades that if she became a fury, he'd let Hercules go. But by that time, it was already too late. Hercules' mind was twisted into listening to every word Hades said. He's now like Hades' deputy here."

"I do not know where Megara is. Last I had seen her, she was delivering the vile of blood to Hades. No one has seen Meg since."

After a long conversation of passing information back and forth, the crew led Cora to the mirror, where they still heard that dripping noise. Just before she used magic to bring Emma to them, she turned towards them and stared them dead in the eyes.

"There is a catch, with what you're trying to do. In order for it to work, Emma has to be willing for it to happen. If she isn't and you still do it, it will be the equivalent of her heart being crushed."

Suspicion filled Mary Margaret's eyes. "We never told you what we were doing."

"And I don't know," Cora responded nonchalantly. "But if you're down here looking for Emma, you must be trying to bring her back. So I'm telling you now, she must agree to whatever it is. It's how the rules here work."

Killian stepped forward and bared his teeth. "Just do it."

She turned back to the mirror and waved her hand. Emma lay a crumpled mess on the ground, either passed out or just sleeping. Whichever it was, her hair was a mess and she had several scars running down her back from the whip the second time they saw her.

Killian stepped forward to grab Emma, but David rushed ahead, pushing him back.

"We don't need your help, pirate. I can take her." Anger surged through Killian and he grabbed David's arm, pulling him back so they stood head to head.

"You listen here, David. I have risked my life several times for her. I am here now, willing to die again if this doesn't work. This was my idea." His voice rose into a yell as he felt all his past anger towards the way David acted towards him spilled out of his mouth.

"I am sick of you not accepting me and trying to separate us." David opened his mouth to retort something back, but Killian snapped. "You chose to put her in that bloody wardrobe. You chose to miss her entire childhood by doing that." Snow and David's eyes widened in shock.

"Just because you remember her now doesn't mean you get to be the protective father that you never got the chance to be. You have missed that right. Why can't you just be happy that your daughter was happy? Because I'm some pirate? Well guess what David. I am not that man anymore! I have changed for your daughter and you do not get to ruin her happiness this time!"

Everyone just stared in shock, frozen, as Killian barged past David and wrapped her left arm over his neck.

"Help me, David. I don't want to hurt her by carrying her bridal style, which is what you were going to do. Don't even try to deny it."

The two carefully lifted their bodies up so Emma's dangled limply between them, and they all made their way back to the apartment to Emma could sleep comfortably.

-

(At the same time)

Hades waited impatiently by Merlin's chamber. The sound of running footsteps alerted him of Hercules' presence. He smiled in the bluish gloom coming from his hair.

Hercules rounded the corner, breathing hard. "She's gone," he finally gasped.

"I know," he said, pleased.

Hercules tipped his head to the side. "What?"

"You see, Hercules, what those pesky heroes don't realize is that I told Cora to go to them. To ally herself with them. To give them Emma. Because those heroes don't know that Emma has been in that room for days. I sent her back in there after she escaped so they wouldn't see anything as to where we are."

"She was quite understanding with what I want her to do to them." Hercules suddenly smiled, which he rarely did.

"How did you turn the Savior into an insane person?"

"Patience. Lots and lots of patience. I never realized how much the sound of dripping water messes with the brain."

Hercules became confused. "Why haven't we crushed her heart and turned her into one of us?"

"Because, I want those heroes to feel the pain I've been through. And, I'm not quite finished with Miss Swan yet. Oh no." A cackle erupted from his throat. "Unleashing all hell is so much more fun."