Chapter 18

Sibling Rivalry

Regina came back to the loft after going to talk to Zelena. Killian asked "so is she pouting over losing her shoes"?

Regina asked "I wish, when I got there she wasn't there so I used a mirror to check where she was. She was on a date with Hades where he confessed to have putting all our names on headstones with the full intent of keeping down here. When I talked to Zelena about it, it was clear she's under the impression she's in love with Hades".

Neal asked "so our only hope is destroying the love within Zelena's heart. That sounds very un-hero like".

Killian suggested "well we could kill her".

Everyone stared at him Neal explained "but she'd just end up back here and probably go crying to Hades and the we'd be in a worse state than we are now".

Tally suggested "would Zelena and Hades being together be the worst thing in the world"?

Emma said "we are talking about two unstable villains, neither of which like us very much".

David said "so we need to find something to keep them apart".

Regina said "fortunately I know someone very good at destroying love. Unfortunately it's my mother".

Regina went to get help from her mother and asked Hook to come along to help her get her mother out of whatever horrid fate Hades sentenced her to. She was supposed to meet up with Robin to give him baby supplies so David offered to do it instead. On his way back from the store he was stopped by the sheriff of Underbrooke, his brother. When James came out David said "I've been wanting to meet you so we could talk about everything".

James asked "about how you stole my life after I died".

"Listen, taking your place was offered to me. I was hesitant to at first but my... our mothers farm needed help so I took it".

"You took my glory".

"I'm not the one who killed you, and I did slay the dragon".

"I would have slayed the dragon, like I did everything leading up to it, you took everything that was suppose to be mine".

"I earned it, and you how could you get it, you were dead".

James stepped up to him and said "you are nothing more than and shepherd who strayed too far from his flock". He reached for his tazer and David looked for something to use as a weapon. He reached for a plank on the ground but he got one swing and missed before James got to him. "You've played Prince for long enough, time for me to play shepherd".

James went to the loft with the bag and pretended to be David. Neal was making a sandwich for the kids while Emma was looking at a picture and when she saw him she said "hi dad".

He decided a quick response would help her believe he was his brother longer "hi, what are you up to"?

"I was just thinking about mom, if she's doing okay without us"?

"She's Snow White, of course she is" .

She showed him the picture "remember this" she asked.

James just said "it was fun, but I can't remember what it was for"?

"An anniversary".

Neal said "good thing Snow wasn't here to hear you forgot your anniversary".

Emma said "with everything going on it's easy to forget a few things". She turned to James and said "I hope you didn't forget anything on the list".

James took a glance inside the bag "formula, new blanket, diapers, and a lot of baby wipes"

Emma got up "sounds about right" and as she put on her coat on Neal went to give the kids their sandwich.

James asked "shall we go"?

Emma said "wait a moment".

Suddenly Neal cried "Emma"...

She turned to him and said "Henry, or Tally, or both"

"Henry's writing but Tally is nowhere to be seen".

Emma thought "let's see, she wants us to give this whatever it is between Zelena and Hades a chance".

Neal said "so Regina's vault".

In Regina's vault Regina was meeting back up with her mother "I would have come for you sooner but"...

"I'm fine" insisted Cora. "I had hoped you would've heeded my advice by now and gone back".

Regina said "my opinion of helping my friends hasn't changed. Besides I can't go back now".

Cora asked "what did Hades do"?

Regina replied "put my name on a tombstone, and everyone else. He did it so we can't follow him when he goes to the land of the living forever".Cora said "impossible, he's the lord of the underworld, he can only leave temporarily, an hour at most".

"Or if his heart restarts with true loves kiss" Regina informed her.

Cora didn't think this changed anything "like I said lord of the underworld, no one could love him".

Regina said "Zelena believes she does, apparently she and Hades have a history".

Cora realized "that's how he knew about her and had me tortured by attempting to have me carry flour for eternity".

Regina added "and she thinks her love can change him, make him better".

Cora nodded and replied "you made the right choice coming to me. Hades is too evil to be changed by love, Zelena is in more danger than she realizes, we need to stop her".

"Can you really tell what's in his heart"? They turned towards the voice and saw Tally. "I might be a kid but I have a voice and should be heard. Now what is so wrong with giving their love a chance to blossom"?

Regina said "Robin made me better, but my bloodlust had already gone down and I was reforming by then. I made Robin better, but he only robbed the rich so he could give it to the poor. The potential for both of us becoming a better person was there from the start. Do you really think someone wicked like Zelena can reform the god of death"?

Tally replied "people who are in love are happy, and happy people are reasonable. Maybe even reasonable enough to remove our names from tombstones".

Cora said "I've been here for a long time, I know Hades and he can't be changed".

Neal came in and said "I agree".

Tally said "well I disagree and I have to do what I know in my heart is the right choice". She left the crypt and as Neal came out she ran off and Neal couldn't catch up to her, and this time he didn't know where she was going.

Emma and James went to the forest to meet up with Robin. He came out with his daughter, surprised to see them here. "Emma, David, where's Regina, I thought she was dropping things off"?

As he put his daughter down and took the bag from James Emma replied "short version, there's a romance blooming between Zelena and Hades, so Regina's dealing with that".

Robin asked "by herself, shouldn't someone help her with Zelena, doubt she'd be too happy with Regina interfering".

James quickly put the magic dampening cuff onto Emma's wrist and got out his gun "siblings can be real pain, you can't be too careful, especially around twins".

Emma replied "you're James, the selfish, manipulative, homicidal version of my dad".

James said "I was a prince, raised to be strong, I only did what was best for my kingdom".

Emma mumbled "that's not how Anton made it sound".

"You met the stupid giant, he was only a monster".

"You killed his family, left your girlfriend to die, so who's the monster"?

Cruella drove up and after getting out she said "hello darling, everything went precisely as planned" and snogged James.

Emma said "stop grossing me out and tell me where my dad is".

As Cruella walked up to her as James said "a cell at the sheriff's station where I can deal with him later".

Cruella suddenly slapped her and said "that's for killing me".

Emma slapped her back and replied "seeing a psychopath pointing a gun at your son will do very strange things to a mother".

James fired a shot next to Emma to tell her to back off making Cruella smile. Robin asked "what do you want"?

Cruella answered "to get out of this place and back to up there. Since the author has decided not to I chosen to ask the man in charge".

Emma scoffed "I think the more souls down here the happier he is. He is not going to send you back to the land of the living".

Cruella replied "he's in the process of wooing a certain woman which you're apparently aware of. Imagine what he'd give for her child".

Robin cried "you will not touch my daughter".

James replied "oh we will and you can't do a thing to stop us. We're dead and immune to those arrows on your back, you're not so lucky. So hand her over unless you want to become a permanent resident".

Zelena was at home thinking about Hades when she heard a knock at the door. She was surprised to see her mother standing there "Hello"

"Mother" Zelena said.

"I know who am I good" Cora said.

Zelena cried "leave, had no trouble before".

Cora told her "I couldn't stop crying as I walked away, please let me speak".

Zelena led her to the kitchen and said "so what took you so long to visit your forsaken daughter".

Cora said "Hades had me sentenced to personal eternal torture, I was recently rescued and when I heard you were here I had to seek forgiveness. I know about you and Hades"...

Not letting her say more Zelena interrupted "let me guess Regina told you".

Cora tried to tell her "you've been so deprived of love, clearly my fault, that you think those feelings you feel for Hades are love. Maybe they are but he can never love you back. I know you must be wondering if I have any regrets for what I did to you"?

With tears trying to escape her eyes she asked "well do you"?

Cora said "if things had been different I would've kept you, but circumstances being what they were. I lost my job, my father was a drunk, we were struggling to get by as it was. At the time I thought the kindest thing I could do was leave you so you wouldn't know the cruelness of the world. And I knew with a baby in my life wouldn't get any better. I know now it was cruel and selfish of me, I was only doing to you what Jonathan had done to me".

Zelena asked "Jonathan, was he my..."

Cora answered before she finished "your father, yes. He lied to me, stole my virginity, and refused to have anything to do with the new life he put inside me. He broke my heart and it tore me in half. Of course I'm sorry. I'm still stuck in the underworld and I know my unfinished business is my daughter. Only now do I realise helping Regina is only a job half-done, I was suppose to help you too" and she hugged her.

Zelena sat down and said "this is all a lot to process".

Cora said "let me get you some water" and when she went to another room Zelena could see what the plan was.

Cora brought her a glass of water, Zelena picked it up and said "so many times I wondered what it would be like if I could have met my mother. And if she could tell me she was sorry, but I would have liked it to be true". Zelena threw the glass into the fireplace. "You can come out now Regina". Regina come out of the other room, "I can't believe how far the two of you were willing to go. Luckily for me, I got a heads up before you got here".

Regina asked "a heads up, from who"?

Zelena replied "my nephews sister, come on out".

Tally emerged from a closet "I had to do it, I couldn't shake the feeling it would be wrong to spilt them up. And as someone who's given hints about the future, maybe this feeling was trying to tell me I had to help Zelena".

Zelena said "Funny, a child cares more about me than my own flesh and blood. Why can't either of you care about me ever"?

Regina said "we do care, Hades doesn't. We're just trying to protect you".

Tally replied "your caring is doing more harm than good".

Regina explained "you're just a little girl and wise as you are you don't understand. We are only trying to do what's best for her before she gets hurt".

Zelena produced a fireball "I think it's time you both left".

Regina replied "we are only trying to help". She produced a fireball herself and added "and if this is the only way to get through to you so be it".

Cora suddenly quenched their fireballs "this is my fault, a long time ago I tore apart two little girls who loved each other so much". She put out her hands and said "I used lethe water before, on the two of you, and now I think you should remember". They took her hands and visions flashed in their mind of meeting as little girls and being the best of friends, finding out they were sisters, and then being separated. They let go of Cora's hands "You were sisters once that loved and needed each other, but I thought any kind of love was weakness, and I was wrong".

Tally said "so now you're getting it, love can be a strength, one that can come in many different forms".

Down by the harbour James and Cruella were going to try and push Robin and Emma into the river of lost souls. As they stood on the edge Emma said "how is killing us suppose to help you get out of here"?

Cruella replied "it doesn't, it's just the icing on the cake".

James grabbed Emma and said "it's too bad our uncle niece time had to be cut short".

Before he could push her in David grabbed his arm "hands off my daughter". He punched him forcing him to let go of Emma and his gun. Robin ran to get his daughter and Cruella tried to get the gun but Hook showed up and got to it first. Cruella went to hide as Emma ran up to Hook.

James cried "how did you escape"?

"Back up there I'm a sheriff, think a cell can hold me"? answered David. "Listen, family is very important to me, and we're brothers. If you let me I can help you move on by completing your unfinished business".

James chuckled and as he walked up to David "my unfinished business is killing you". As the two brothers fought James tried to forcefully land a blow and fell into the river of lost souls. Cruella looked on in despair as her true love was gone forever and she ran away.

Neal ran up and cried"Emma, I can't find Tally".

Emma asked "wasn't she at the vault"?

Neal replied "yeah, but she ran off the moment we were out. She is surprisingly fast for someone with such short legs".

Emma asked "did you check back home"?

Neal said "first place I checked, I told Henry to give me a call when she got home. I checked the diner and my dad's shop, the only person there was Belle and she was asleep. I don't know where else to look"?

Emma thought for a bit "did she say anything before she ran off"

"Just that she had to do what she thought was the right choice".

Emma said "did you check Zelena's farmhouse"?

Neal ran to the car and Emma followed him.

Cora, Regina, Zelena and Tally went to the bridge. Cora asked "how does this work"?

Tally replied "when Henry Sr realised what his unfinished business was the fire stopped, the bridge reached the other side and there was a bright light".

Regina said "if you want to find out if your unfinished business is now complete by mending your daughter's sisterly bond you need to walk to the edge".

As she started to walk towards the edge Zelena asked "what happens if she hasn't"?

Regina replied "you don't want to know".

Suddenly a spiral of fire went around Cora but only for a moment and the bridge extended to the other side. After Cora bid a final farewell to her daughters she crossed over. Zelena said "I waited all my life for a mother and now she's gone".

Regina said "from the advisement of a very wise little girl I think you have a new love to find, Hades".

Tally's face lit up, Regina finally realised.

Zelena asked "you trust me"?

Regina replied "maybe your love can change him".