Disclaimer: For now and forever, they are not mine. Property of A&E and ABC.

A/N: Apologies for the delay. As this is the last chapter, it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to finish this. I decided to hold true to the pattern of previous chapters, and focus on Zelena's character in the moment, as it appeared onscreen. Hope you enjoy!

Time is relative, they say. It heals all wounds, they say. But Zelena knows it's all lies. Time is fickle and cruel. Each day, each hour and each minute, creeps along like molasses, forcing her to suffer through the pain and despair of a loss that refuses to fade.

The gathering after Robin's funeral is at Granny's, of course. When Zelena returns from changing Robyn's diaper in the back room, she finds the Charmings attempting to console Regina. Don't they understand? She and her sister are stuck. They can only wait – wait for time to pass, wait for the anguish to diminish. David does try to express some compassion for Zelena – in a way it is touching that the heroes are attempting to consider her feelings as well. In other ways it is nauseating, as these are the heroes after all. Mostly, it just emphasizes the hollow in her heart, the ache that just won't quit.

Regina's eyes are shrouded in a thick veil of grief. It is worrisome, but her sister is not some delicate flower. She will overcome this ... eventually. Her courage under fire is brought to the forefront when the earthquake hits. They share a quick glance, confirming the use of strong magic. Whatever happened is definitely going to ruin this party.

Yes indeed, the party is over - as the supposedly dead Hook barrels through the door in a panic. All eyes gape at him like the ghost he should be, and Zelena can't hold back the acid from her tongue. Is the pirate really alive? Why yes, it appears he is. Isn't that brilliant. She can't wait to hear how the hell that happened. It's clear Emma knows, and was attempting to be delicate about it. Well done, Savior. Way to fail at diplomacy.

Regina puts it all aside for the sake of the town, and Zelena is impressed by her sister's control. It's under Regina's direction that they head to the clock tower, and once within it, the sticky, prickly feeling of that Olympian Crystal invades her senses. Someone used it – and the heroes use their ever-so-quaint deductive reasoning to conclude it is Rumplestiltskin. Really now - who else could it be? Her sister confirms what Zelena suspected – the magic of Storybrooke is now tethered to that crystal. The Dark One is playing with some heavy power here – there will be implications.

oooooooooooooooooooo

The next day dawns bright and clear. Given the escapades of Regina's son, the people from Camelot and that annoying ginger girl with hair in dire need of a hot oil treatment are anxious to return to their own land. Snow White's comment is laughable – did she really assume that since Zelena ended Hades, she's now a part of their little troupe of do-gooders? There is no 'we'. She's almost offended when they imply she would call forth a cyclone to bring these people back to Camelot. Seriously? How uncouth.

With a wave of Merlin's wand, she brings forth the portal. Life is ever so much easier with this kind of power – it's unfortunate she didn't have the wand with her while in the Underworld. Perhaps things would have been different…

Robin's best mate, the one that made such a lovely flying monkey, interrupts her train of thought. Robin's son stands before him, his innocent face etched with confusion and sadness. The burly man worries that leaving without saying good-bye to Regina would be disrespectful, but Zelena assures him Regina will be fine. She will be too – Robin's son belongs where he is most comfortable, and that is not here in Storybrooke. Given the power of the wand, she and Regina and her daughter will visit with the young boy often.

When Roland kisses Robyn's forehead, Zelena's heart warms at the thought of her daughter having an older brother to look out for her. Her heart genuinely melts when his small hand offers up the arrow shaft as a gift for her sister. Holding the little boy, his grip tight against her, makes her realize how much Regina has lost, and how much she herself has gained. It's mind-boggling, how far she and her sister have come from just months ago.

Zelena tucks the stiff feather into her coat pocket as Little John and Roland make their way through the portal. David gives her a nod to shut it down, but when she tries, the magic resists her call. It's like a raging animal, refusing to be tamed. The stiff breeze emanating from the doorway sends apprehension coursing through her veins. There is a power here, one that is fighting her own. When Granny asks what's happening, her only thought is for her to step away and keep her daughter safe.

She digs deep, calling forth all the magic she has and focusing it through the wand. Yet it feels weak, as if something is blocking the flow. It can only be that crystal – and when she tries again to push the swirling vortex away, it surges towards her. The instant it touches her skin she knows any further effort is futile. She cuts off her magic and lets the portal take her. There are others with her; it must be the Charmings and the pirate as they were closest to her when the surge happened. Oh goodie – a road trip with the heroes.

Fortunately, portal travel only takes a few seconds. Unfortunately, the landings always leave a lot to be desired. She feels something snap beneath her as she crashes to the ground. Righting herself, she realizes they're in a land she's never seen before. The landscape, the magic, even the air has an alien feel to it. When she looks down, she sees the snapped wand. Now they're really in for it – they have no way home. A quick conversation with the heroes makes it clear they understand little of the ways of magic. She cannot repair the wand without her potions, and even if she did, if Henry destroys all the magic of Storybrooke, they cannot return. Of all the rotten luck – stuck in a foreign realm with this lot.

When they encounter the mousy gardener, Zelena lets the heroes take the lead. They've got much more experience than she in the whole 'asking for help' thing. She immediately regrets it when the dark man in white raises his arm and lightning springs from it. The current is so powerful that Zelena barely registers the pain before her world spins to black.

oooooooooooooooooooo

She wakes abruptly, the rough grating digging into her backside. The others come to at the same time – confirming her belief that the strange device the dark man wielded was indeed magical. They seem to be in a type of cell, although it's like none Zelena's ever seen. It's more of an exhibition environment – in Storybrooke they were called 'zoos'. Are they now on display for someone's amusement? The entire enclosure is enchanted as well. Whomever they are dealing with is no slouch in the dark arts department.

Miraculously, they didn't take the wand. Yet when the tall, ghostly pale figure emerges from the shadows, Zelena knows why. When he stands on the platform in front of their cell, she can feel his power. The corresponding evil is as plain as the scar on his face. His knowledge of Rumplestiltskin is surprising – good ol' Rumple really must have gotten around in his heyday to piss off this hell-spawn of a man.

The pirate dares to challenge him, and earns a nearly crushed windpipe for his efforts. Zelena lets it all play out in front of her, watching and waiting for which way the tide will turn. Snow's explanation of the Dark One and Belle hits a nerve within the man. Is it jealousy, or mere surprise? Zelena isn't sure. Then again, Hook's gasping is rather distracting. The heroes appear surprised that the hell-spawn doesn't want to let them go, and chatter between themselves about it. Zelena has other plans – she's wondering how to work her magic on that man in order to free herself. The snap of the wooden bench splintering startles her, but Charming has the right idea. Now they have a weapon … of sorts. Maybe they'll find a way out after all, now that the heroes realize violence might be the only answer.

The mousy gardener is their next visitor, proclaiming he wants to help. He states he was once a doctor, and now he's trapped here as well. The bleeding heart sob story isn't doing it for Zelena; they need magic. The gardener's intentions seem genuine, but he'll need to take the wand from them in order to repair it. When he reaches for it, Charming is right there to defend her with the wooden stake, hovering it inches from the small man's nose. Zelena is developing a new appreciation for David – it's rather useful to have a bona fide hero on your side. No wonder Snow is so smitten with him.

Her respect increases when he echoes her thoughts – this is a bad plan. But Snow's logic can't be denied and with regret, Zelena hands over the wand. After their newfound savior leaves, they return to the stasis of forced captivity. This is nothing new for Zelena, her life of the past few years has been nothing but one prison cell after another. Yet the pirate isn't adapting well to being caged, and is using his hook to try to force the lock open. He's delusional if he thinks that will work when her magic cannot free them.

Then he dares to insult her, and she's more than willing to rip his heart out and crush it before his eyes. The fact that he's even alive, that he somehow made it out of the Underworld, is incomprehensible. Regina would be thrilled if he were gone – truly, she owes it to her sister to rid the world of this rum-soaked excuse for a man.

Charming interrupts, of course, claiming they need to be patient. With perfect timing, their supposed rescuer appears, but states he can only fulfill half of his promise. When Zelena hears that the wand is now repaired, but in the hands of the warden, she's certain they've tied their lot with an absolute moron. However, he did bring the key to the padlock, and a weight is lifted off her shoulders as she makes her way down the metal stairs. Now she is free, and now she has opportunity on her side again. She has no qualms leaving the heroes if it means saving her own skin.

oooooooooooooooooooo

The crowded cobblestone streets are amassed with people and goods so foreign that she gapes in wonder at it all. They are a long way from Oz, that's for certain. Snow is right when she says it is like the realms combined. Their mild-mannered tour guide identifies these people as refugees, individuals with stories that are somehow lost. The unexpected pang of sorrow at the plight of these adrift souls surprises her, and then crushingly reminds her of her own loss. The return of despair is alarming in its unfamiliarity; this is the first time she's thought about Hades since she landed here. Her mind was obviously more focused on survival than sadness. The thought of survival brings forth images of her daughter, who has also been far from her mind. Not any longer. She will find her way out of this forsaken Land of the Lost if it's the last thing she does. Mommy's coming, little one. I'll be home with you soon.

When they arrive at the second-floor apartment, the décor leaves a lot to be desired. Cleanliness isn't Zelena's forte, but the near-inch coating of dust is enough to offend even her standards. The good doctor claims he has a serum that can separate good from evil within a person. The whole display looks like a potions set-up – and the flash from blue to red when he adds the liquid from the flowering plant confirms it. Perhaps here the wizards and witches are known as doctors instead.

They're all taken by surprise when the dark man in white returns, complete with his lightning stick. He forces a blue potion down the poor doctor's throat, and when the slight man's features start to change, Snow White pieces it together. Zelena's knowledge of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is sketchy, but watching the story play out in front of her fills in any gaps. The pirate is also unfamiliar, but she decides they've done enough book-learning for today and blasts Hyde square in the chest.

She's dumbfounded when her fireball is absorbed and causes him no harm at all. What manner of man is he? Snow's instincts are in sync with her own – time to run. When they are back on the streets, David hesitates. Snow White looks at him and they share an unspoken conversation. Together they face Zelena and Hook and state that they're going back for the doctor. For once, the pirate and she agree – that's lunacy. They're free – they need to run as far away as they can from these psychos. The Charmings believe that they owe something to the man for freeing them, so they're repaying the favor. Hook grudgingly agrees to help, probably because these are the parents of his beloved Emma. Snow turns her doe-eyes to Zelena, stating simply that they could use her magic. Not forceful, just persuasive. Oh bloody hell.

The minute they are on the stairwell, they can here the sounds of struggle from the apartment. The pirate barrels through the door and digs his hook deep into the back of Mr. Hyde, who is in the process of strangling the poor Dr. Jekyll to death. It seems that red potion separated the two men permanently. The nasty dark man raises his lightning device towards them, and Zelena hits him squarely in the head with a fireball, quite pleased to see him drop like a stone to the floor. Charming is at Jekyll's side, helping him to his feet. Zelena has to give the heroes credit – they truly are good at this rescuing stuff. When Hyde threatens to kill them all, Snow zaps him with the lightning rod. Very resourceful, these heroes. They make their way back to the streets and attempt to hide within the crowds. Of course, this means Hyde can also be lurking in the shadows too. They wander into a dead end and she's not surprised when the tall, pale hell-spawn appears in their path. Couldn't their little gardener have imagined his worst self as anything other than an inhumanly powerful monster?

Suddenly, something metal hits Zelena's hat. There are bits of metal falling from the sky. David bends down to look at one. It is a penny – the Land of No Magic's form of currency. Snow corrects him as the ground shudders with the now familiar rumble of a portal opening. These aren't pennies, they are wishes. Everyone seems mystified by this, but Zelena knows where she's headed. The minute the portal is fully formed, she is in it, and within seconds she knows the heroes heeded her words and joined her.

Their journey this time is gentler, and they find themselves standing in the middle of a petrified fountain. Zelena scans the horizon and quickly deduces they are in New York City. That explains the pennies. The Savior is there, as is her sister and Henry and the little bit of fluff he was so smitten with in Camelot. She has no idea how they got here of all places, as this is the Land of No Magic after all, but she's grateful to be free just the same. She goes to her sister, their eyes reflecting relief that the other is okay. The crowd around them starts cheering loudly, and she's as confused as the rest of the heroes as to why. This isn't their world, after all.

Their whole party then parades back to the apartment she and Robin shared while she was pretending to be Marion. Given the sensitivities of that, Zelena shutters herself into the back room, claiming the entire ordeal gave her a migraine. She lies down on the bed for a moment, and doesn't wake until hours later, when Regina shakes her shoulder.

There is something different about her sister, but there is little time to discuss it as they are apparently on a new quest to commandeer the Dark One's car. Given the large size of their party, they'll need it to return to Storybrooke. They find it easily and with a little help from the Savior, they're on their way. Zelena and Snow get the honor of being squashed in the back with Dr. Jekyll for the rather long ride home. The heroes obviously enjoy each other's company and prattle amongst themselves, but Zelena spends the time staring out the window at the passing scenery. The concrete walls of the city fade to suburban sprawl with each passing hour. They pass through some other more populated areas, but eventually they are in Maine and there is naught but trees and the paved road.

This is much better. Zelena is not a city person. She honestly liked the Land of Oz - living in a castle, the finery, the diversity of the land itself. That is more her style. Storybrooke is quaint, but it lacks elegance. Perhaps she can change that. But first, she is headed to Granny's for her daughter. And from now on, regardless of what Regina and the Charmings ask of her, she won't jeopardize losing her again. Zelena's had enough of their types of adventures to last a lifetime.

A/N #2: Well, here it is. The End. I have thoughts - which you can read below if you feel inclined to do so.

My Thoughts and Blatherings:

When I originally wrote the summary blurb for this fic, I decided it would be cute to use the love quote from "Hercules". Reading it now – it is eerily accurate for both Zelena and Hades. I don't know if that is kismet, genius on my part, or sheer dumb luck. What I originally planned as a simple writing exercise turned into a little bit more, and then snowballed completely out of control to land me here, at the end of the season – beaten, battered and bloody well heartbroken.

Unsure if you readers noticed, but there is only one true line of actual dialogue in this entire story. (As a dialogue-heavy writer – can I tell you how challenging it was to write a character study without the use of dialogue? I admit I cheated with some of the thoughts in Zelena's head but still - no dialogue? UGH!)

Anyway - the one line is Hades' words to Zelena, telling her to kill Regina, or he will. I did this on purpose, as I consider that moment the tipping point for Zelena's redemption. It was the instant she realized she couldn't have it all. Having a daughter and a sister – a family, was in direct conflict with being a villain, or supporting one. I stand by my opinion that this was more than a choice of Regina over Hades – it was a choice of good over evil (er… wickedness). There are implications to this, and I'm curious how it will play out in Season 6. Zelena can never be good. But now she will never be able to return to her true wickedness. Where does this leave her? I'm not sure. I'd like to hope we see more of her character development – including a new beau (or the return of Hades pleasepleaseplease), but I fear she's going to turn into the snarky sidekick that tags along with the good-guy brigade.

I don't know what's next for me with regards to fan fiction and OUAT. I think I've beaten the character study bug to a pulp, so no more of those for a while, regardless of fandom. Writing actual fanfic of Hades and Zelena in the form of "Sanctuary" was delightfully wicked and I really enjoyed that. I am supposed to be a romance writer, after all. I guess time will tell. (I miss Hades. He was a psychopath, but he was so very gentlemanly about it!)

Please do let me know your thoughts of this fic either via PM or review – I am forever wondering what people think of my writing and I'll never know unless I hear from you!