Under the Town

Chapter 15: Crisis Averted

Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I hope you all like it! Please read my authors note at the end of this chapter, I didn't want to make a separate author's note page, but it's very important. It's about the continuation of this book and the possibility of another book written by me. Thank you for all your support and you may now continue reading!

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The gang walked out of the castle, still uneasy from their first, and definitely not last, encounter with Hades. No one said a word as they all quietly walked on the stone pathway out of Hades' castle. Emma had her arm wrapped around Killian, resting most of her weight against his body. She was still very weak from fighting Hades moments ago.

Once they were a safe distance away from the castle, Killian stopped walking and turned to face Emma. 

"Now that we're a safe distance away from the demon's castle," Killian began, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Emma, you came to the Underworld with a plan, I hope?" He finished. Emma gulped, and looked past Killian's shoulder to see her mother. Snow gave her a steady nod, giving Emma the confidence she needed.

"Gold tricked us. He used your sacrifice as a way to get the power of all the Dark Ones. It wasn't fair to you. I came to bring you back."

Killian's head tilted a bit in confusion. 

"It's not possible," Killian began.

"I can split my heart," Emma interrupted. "It's a good plan, it will work."

"So what Zelena told me is true..." Killian said, shocked. 

"Zelena? How did Zelena know about the split?" Regina interrupted.

"It's not important now," Emma said. She turned to Regina, preparing for her heart to be ripped out. Regina widened her eyes.

"Unless you want to lose consciousness for a few days, I suggest we wait until you can actually, well, stand." 

Emma slightly nodded her head, understanding. 

"We should work on finding our way out of here," David mentioned. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Should we go back to Granny's?" Snow suggested.

"No, we should go somewhere more private," Emma insisted. They headed for Snow and David's apartment. 

~~~

"What's your plan?" Grumpy asked Belle. She didn't reply, worriedly tossing around the pages of an old book in the library. 

"Sister, you're not going to find your answers in any books in here," Grumpy insisted, throwing his arms up to emphasize his point. Belle kept looking through the book. She quickly flipped the book shut and slid it off to the side of the table. She reached for another book on the table and began searching again.

"Belle!" He said aggressively, taking the book out of her hands.

"We need a plan. We need you to help us come up with a plan! The Charming's aren't here to do it, which means you're in charge." 

Belle's attention snapped to Grumpy, showing a concerned look. 

"I don't know what to do!" Belle shouted, surprising Grumpy and herself. "For the first time, I can't find anything in these books that can help me. We aren't looking for spells or answers, we're looking for a plan. And I don't know what to do." 

Grumpy stayed quiet for a minute, confused himself. He finally thought of an idea.

"She only came here for her child, maybe she's planning on leaving?" He shrugged. Belle's eyes calmed down as she shook her head.