Hook… I Will Always Find You

Chapter One

Deep within the depths of the Underworld…

From the moment Killian Jones drew his last breath after he stabbed himself with the Dark One dagger in one final sacrifice to protect his loved ones and to rid the world of the darkness once and for all, he soon found himself within another kind of darkness which now surrounded him. In Killian's mind, it was a fitting place for a man who caused centuries of pain and torment on most of those he'd ever come across. A fitting place for a man who caused such pain for those fighting for the good of their people and their kingdom. A fitting place for a man who caused such pain for those he loved most.

It wasn't long after his arrival in the Underworld that his torture began, as hands belonging to the wretched souls who worked for this realm's ruler dragged him to what would soon become his new prison of eternal torment. Nor was it long before he was soon dragged from it as well, to once again be brought before the cruel God who called himself Hades.

However, when the demons appeared to take him before the deity, Killian was completely unaware of their presence despite how roughly they pulled him free from his dungeon because he was too caught up within the throws of his nightmares which he's suffered from ever since he was a small boy long ago abandoned by his father. His most recent nightmare being fresher on his mind than many of those that came before because of the darkness. While the evil entity was destroyed, the pain it caused the infamous Captain hadn't left him.

Back in Storybrooke, the night Killian took the darkness into himself…

Emma and Killian chased the dark entity out into the night until it disappeared once they reached the center of town, where David and Mary Margaret were already there waiting for them to join in their search as their daughter called out, "Where is it?!"

Her father kept looking all around them as he replied, "We don't know."

"It just disappeared into the night," Mary Margaret then stated with concern, as Regina and Robin joined them as well after returning to town from their walk.

"Hey, what's going on?" the Mayor asked with concern upon seeing the worry on their friends' faces while they continued to look around.

Hook stared ahead of them as he answered darkly, "The Dark One… It's no longer tethered to the Crocodile."

Regina stared at the others in disbelief as she questioned, "What?! Where the hell is it?"

As she strained to hear the entity's cries from somewhere in the distance, knowing that it was still close by, the Savior quietly responded, "It hasn't gone anywhere. The darkness… It's surrounding us."

"Regina!" Robin cried when the darkness reappeared moments later as Regina gasped in fear while it suddenly began to consume her and ripped her away from the others. "What's it doing?!"

"What darkness does…" Emma fearfully replied while she and everyone else continued to stare at the sight before them in horror. "Snuffing out the light."

"I'm not gonna let it," Robin retorted firmly as he charged forward to try to save the woman he loved before Emma could stop him, until the darkness forced him back and to the ground.

Killian immediately turned to her as Emma then shouted again, "That's not gonna work on this thing! The Apprentice told me we have to do what the Sorcerer did! We have to tether it to a person to contain it!"

Just as the Savior started towards the dark entity with the jagged dagger clenched tightly in her hand, Mary Margaret cried out, "Emma!"

"No!" Emma then suddenly heard Regina weakly cry out to her from within the center of the vortex of evil surrounding her, when more of her memory came back to her before her father could continue. "There has to be another way!"

"There isn't," the Savior answered strongly while she kept her teary eyes steadfastly on her friend who was about to lose to the darkness once again. "You've worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed."

Just as Emma was about to plunge the dagger she was still grasping firmly straight into the dark entity before her, her father immediately cried out with fear, "No!"

Everyone looked on as she turned around again to face her parents before completing her task while she shouted out to them sadly saying, "You figured out how to take the darkness out of me once."

"You need to do it again…" she continued despite her voice breaking as she did so. "As heroes."

"Emma!" she suddenly heard Killian cry out as well when he ran up to her while he pleaded, "Emma, please! No. Don't do this."

Emma moved in close so she could embrace the man she loved despite being unable to tell him until that moment, while he held her tightly against his own body that didn't want to let her go. However, before she had the chance to say anything more to him, Killian suddenly reached down to her left hand and stole the dagger away from her, then forcefully shoved her back so that he was free to make the sacrifice for her before Emma or anyone else could stop him.

Upon him doing so, Emma cried out, "No! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Exactly what you were about to do yourself," Killian responded to her without wavering despite knowing the anguish that was to come for him in doing so. "Sacrificing my life to save you and Regina from having to give up yours. You said it yourself, Swan… Regina's worked too hard to change, just to lose herself now and you're sorely needed here more than I am. To be not only the Savior for everyone, but because you're all that is good and beautiful in this world. And because I love you. I've lived in darkness all my life until I met you. And I know this darkness that was trapped in the Crocodile better than almost anyone."

"I'll fight it… for as long as I can…" he added faintly after he finally plunged the dagger into the center of the dark entity so that it would release Regina at last, as the pirate captain struggled to keep his eyes on Emma's. "…until you can find a way to stop me. Aah!"

Robin embraced Regina as she ran back to him once she was freed from the evil, while Emma attempted to race back to Killian when he screamed out in pain until both of her parents grabbed hold of her to keep her back as she shouted, "It should be me!"

Hook stood as tall as he could as he replied again, "It's better that it's me… making this sacrifice… than for anyone else. You know it, Emma. Just promise me… Promise me no matter what happens… that you will remember me as I am now. As a… a hero. Not the monster… I'm about to become."

"I promise," she answered him desperately. "I love you too. I always will. I will find a way to save you, Killian…"

"Stay… stay strong, Emma," he whispered until at last, the darkness fully consumed him and Killian screamed in anguish as it did, until finally the entity vanished as though it were never there.

Back in the present, within Hades' lair…

Before the nightmare could continue or change again like they've done time and time again, Killian was startled from his memory as Hades suddenly snapped his newest arrival from the back of his mind with a jolt so that he would be conscious for when the God began to talk to him again. Killian struggled to regain his bearings while he looked around the best he could and found himself once again on his knees and bound in shackles, this time holding him by the crook of his elbows, rather than by his wrists to keep them stretched out tightly at his sides.

However, before he became fully aware again, Hades appeared within his line of sight as the God knelt down before him and smiled at him smugly as he said, "Welcome back. I'm sorry for being detained longer than I expected I'd be. I promised you we would have ourselves a more productive conversation this time around. The first time I tried talking to you, you weren't exactly lucid. Having just died and with you struggling to come to terms with all the pain and suffering you caused during your brief time as the Dark One and all."

Killian just glared at him until he finally turned away to stare down at the floor in front of him while Hades stood again so he could circle around the pirate and continued, "I have to tell you… you were glorious. That is, when you actually allowed yourself to accept the darkness and its power. I have been watching you for a very long time, Captain. Long before you ever became the infamous Captain Hook, but especially after you became that marvelous villain you used to be. I greatly admired that man and all of the good work you once accomplished while you were him. You sent a lot of souls my way and I'm extremely grateful. So much so… that I would like to offer you a chance to become one of my emissaries. Help me to rid what remains of hope in this world and if you can gain my trust, I may even allow you to leave the Underworld from time to time. So long as you swear to serve me by collecting even more souls belonging to the fools from the land of the living by making deals. What do you say, Captain? Will you accept my terms? Refuse me, and your life as my slave will be… for the lack of a better word… Hell."

Killian raised his head so he could look into firmly Hades' eyes when the God finally stopped circling around him, while he defiantly responded, "The darkness may continue to haunt me despite it having been destroyed, but I gave my life to do it in order to protect the woman and all of those I love. I won't ever give into it again. The darkness being that of some dark entity, or otherwise. Especially not for my own wellbeing. I don't care what happens to me. You're not the first deity I've ever faced, and he didn't scare me. Neither do you. So… you can take your deal and shove off."

"I knew you were stubborn," Hades replied crossly. "But I also figured there might still be some small part of you that might fight to protect himself as you once did, especially since you're now trapped here in a world where you haven't even begun to see the kinds of anguish I can inflict upon you. It's a real pity that this Savior you love so much has completely destroyed you. You and me, we could have done so much together. Tell me about her. What about this woman do you love so much?"

"Come on," the deity uttered again in frustration, when Killian didn't answer him. "Do you honestly believe that she loves you as much as you love her? I've seen into your mind, so I know that she was about to sacrifice herself to the darkness to save the former Evil Queen and all of those up there in that quaint little town those heroes up there call Storybrooke, but… Would she have sacrificed herself just for you like you did for her?"

The Captain stared straight ahead as he responded, "We're not talking about her or about anyone else I care about. And I don't care about what you think of my actions. Neither now, nor back when I was a villain. You won't trick me into whatever it is you want from me. I've allowed myself to become manipulated by villains like you before. Never again."

Hades suddenly grabbed Killian by his hair and roughly pulled his head back to force his captive to look up at him again, then cruelly sneered, "There are no other villains like me. Maybe I can't convince you to help yourself, but there are other ways for me to get what I want. And soon enough, you are going to help me get something that's far more valuable than even a hundred more souls. But for now, it's time for you to go back to your prison that I've designed just for you, Captain. You think you're in pain now… just you wait."

Finally, the God of the Underworld motioned to his minions still standing nearby to unshackle the pirate, then ordered them to take him back. Killian didn't struggle against them as much as he might have wanted to. Instead, he just continued to stare up at Hades until the men forced him to his feet, then shoved him forward to get him to walk, as they walked towards the boat floating within the green river in front of him which Killian would eventually learn was known as the River of Lost Souls.