Finding Pan | OUAT Fan-fiction

41: Brothers and Lovers

"What do you mean you saw him?" Elle asked slowly.

Her father looked at her, "You know exactly who I am speaking about."

Elle lowered her gaze and uttered the name she held back, "Peter."

Before either of them could ponder the thought, Emma returned, "Elle, Killian."

"We'll talk about this later," Hook said before going to meeting Emma.

She brought them back to her house and healed Hook. Elle leaned against the frame and watched them kiss. Just as Emma was about to, Hook moved his face away.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked him.

"Emma," her father said, "You were the Dark One for six weeks and only gave into the darkness out of love. I plunged headfirst in a second for revenge. I was weak."

He got up from the couch and Elle noticed the pained look on her father's face.

"Not in the end," Emma told him.

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

"Let me be the judge of that," Emma frowned, "If you didn't, would I have come all the way down here to try to save you?"

"That's my point. I'm not sure I deserve saving," Her father said in a low tone.

"What are you saying? That you want to stay down here?" Emma asked him.

Her father didn't answer and Elle pursed her lips at the fact. Her father choosing to stay here was a heartwrenching decision and it did not bode well with her. A knock on the door broke the tension in the room and Emma went to answer it. A man stood on the other side and widened his eyes shocked.

"Killian?"

"Liam?" Hook replied.

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

They sat in the kitchen and pour cups of water.

"Liam, what about you? Why are you down here?" Hook asked his brother.

"I wish I knew," Liam answered truthfully, "I spent countles years trying to figure out a reason."

"There is no reason," Hook muttered, "Hades has the game rigged so no one can leave. My brother is proof of that. Never did a bad thing in his life. He even died nobly stopping a treacherous king from poisoning the realm."

"Stop it," his older brother said, "You're making me blush."

"But Hades has you trapped down here, and that cannot stand. The only way everyone will get free is if we defeat Hades, once and for all. Liam, you've been down here a very long time. Surely you must know something that can help us."

"I know this is a very dangerous game you're playing. There are those who have tried to overthrow Hades before. Most notably, tales of Persephone who successfully escaped which brings me into my next question, who are you?"

Elle realized he was looking straight at her. She swallowed and Hook answered fro her.

"She's your niece."

Liam's eyes widened as they took Elle in. He glanced at Emma and then his brother. Hook shook his head, "Emma's not the mother. Elle's mother... Is gone."

Liam just gave a nod, "It would seem that all my family is down here with me. Nonetheless, I have heard rumours of a book that depicted how Persephone escaped the Underworld."