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CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
THE QUEST FOR THE QUILL
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THEY KNEW WHERE HOOK WAS, FINALLY. Apparently, as Teresa, Henry and Robin were on their quest for the maps in Regina's Underworld office, Snow and Emma were facing a three headed creature. While doing so with Snow's old friend named Hercules — who she gave a peaceful parting to — they later met Hades, who apparently runs Hell.
They were going to go in guns ablaze to rescue the fallen pirate that was being tormented by Hades, until Gold had arrived, proclaiming that he knew just where to find Hook. As Emma left with him, this left the rest of them to clean up the Underworld version of Snow and David's apartment. All the while, Henry seemed to be avoiding Teresa, leaving her to wonder just what he had encountered while in his mothers office, seeing as he has yet to share with her what he said he would later fell her. It was rather infuriating.
Now with news from Gold, they ran down the road toward the house that Emma and Henry helped Hook choose for his future with Emma, where Emma was now with Hook. They had succeeded in rescuing him.
They burst through the front door and instantly their eyes rested on Hook. Relieved and shocked breaths were released from many of them. Hook looked absolutely terrible. He was battered, bloody, bruised, and even his one eye was swollen shut. He was in obvious pain, as he was leaning against Emma for support.
"Killian!"
Henry smiled at his blonde haired mother. "Good job, Mom."
"Well, aren't you a sight," Alice said, raising an eyebrow, a light smile on her lips.
Hook looked at her in shock, having never expected the sweet and caring Alice Biers to be in Hell. "Alice. You...you shouldn't be here..."
"I had unfinished business," Alice replied, turning to look at Regina for a brief moment. "Now I've completed it."
Hook smiled, giving his friend a nod.
"How did you do it?" David asked his daughter.
"Gold got us in. He got us help. He poofed us back here. He even had a boat to get us all back home, but it's gone," Emma finished with a frown.
"What happened?" Teresa asked, referring to the rescue mission.
Hook glanced over at the young archer. "Hades attacked. We lost the boat and..." His face saddened. "We lost a friend. I hear you took away my sacrifice." He turned to look at Gold, a glare now on his face. "Everything I did to save my friends all went to give you back your power. I should kill you."
Gold raised his eyebrows, agreeing with him. "Acknowledged."
"But...you helped get me out of there, so I should say..."
"Thank you. No need."
"Stay of execution. We're even...for now."
"I just wanted to get home," Gold said. "And yes, you're welcome, Captain."
"Well, we're sorry you lost her," Robin spoke up, referring to Milah, who Teresa learned was not only Hook's former dead love, but also Gold's former wife and Henry's grandmother. Teresa was very confused to how their entire family tree went. One day, they desperately needed to sit down and explain all the relationship connections to her.
Gold looked down at his feet, a deep frown forming on his face. "She made me who I am."
Regina cleared her throat, stepping forward. "Okay, we don't have a way out, but we didn't have one before anyway. My magic's working now, so let's do this heart split. That way, when we find an exit, we can get through it."
Hook turned to Emma in shock, raising an eyebrow. "Heart split?"
"It's a good plan. It'll work. Trust me." Emma gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Teresa could tell Hook was hesitant about wanting to agree, but he had no choice in matter it seems.
Emma stepped forward toward Regina, letting out a sigh before clearing her throat. "Do it."
Regina thrust her hand forward to remove Emma's heart, but is repelled by magic that glowed a bright white color. She gasped, clutching her hand to her chest. "Oh!"
Teresa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"What was that?" Alice asked, just as confused as everyone else.
"Interesting..." Gold uttered as be stared at Emma.
"What the hell?"
"What is this? Why didn't it work?" Emma asked with wide eyes.
➳
Teresa was in shock.
They were now in the cemetery, standing before three engraved tombstones that made their hearts heavy.
"Hades told me to pick three names and chisel them onto the headstones," Hook said from where he was still leaning against Emma for support. "He said whoever I picked would remain in the Underworld. I refused."
"Well, it looks like he did the picking himself," Regina muttered.
"What does this mean?" Emma asked.
"It means we're stuck here, and now we can't use your heart to save Hook."
"Well..." Gold heaved a sigh. "I got the pirate out in a day, but you lots managed to find a whole new way to fail. I'll be in the shop."
With that, Gold turned on his heel and left them behind to stare at the three tombstones in utter shock.
Teresa, despite still being angry with Henry for not telling her what he encountered in Regina's office, reached over and took his hand. She squeezed tight as she stared at the one specific engraved name in front of her. Henry squeezed back just as tight, his glossy eyes staring at the three tombstones marked with his loved ones.
Emma Swan
Regina Mills
Teresa Holmes
"No," Alice suddenly blurted out. Everyone looked over at the deceased blonde that was now furiously shaking her head. "No, no way in hell."
Alice turned on her heel and began leaving, but before she could get too far, Regina had snatched her wrist. "Alice, stop! What're you doing?"
Alice turned back around with determined eyes. "I can't let you be stuck down here, Gina...any of you. You have a son, you have Robin, you have a chance to make yourself a life with the man you love. Get married, give Henry siblings, live. Let me do this for you, Gina."
Regina shook her head. She would be damned before she let Alice's soul be doomed for all eternity in Hell. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do anything that'll put your soul on the line."
With a wave of her hand, Alice collapsed to the ground, Regina having knocked her unconscious with her magic.
Teresa tore her gaze away from the unconscious Alice to stare at her tombstone. She was thankful that Snow and Henry's names weren't engraved one of the others, but that fact that she was now doomed to stay in Hell for all eternity was making her feel sick. Her skin had visibly paled.
➳
Henry never thought he would actually agree to help Cruella De Vil find the author's quill that he had snapped in half, but after seeing his both mothers names and Teresa's — his soulmate, the girl he was just beginning to start something with — engraved on those tombstones, being forced to stay in the Underworld forever, he was damn well going to try and help them by finding it.
He had to sneak away from them, but he managed. He was surprised that he was able to leave without Teresa noticing, but he supposed it was due to her shocked state. Now, he sat in the front seat of Cruella's car, the black and white haired woman speeding down the road.
"Can you please slow down?" He asked.
Cruella smirked. "Darling, you wouldn't be here if you didn't like a little danger. I mean, look at you...sneaking away from your family and your little girlfriend to bring me back to life. Such a naughty boy."
"I just want to find the pen and get this over with. What am I even looking for?"
"A sign, signal, whiff of ink. Look, you're the Author. You're connected to that quill."
Henry let out a sigh and stared out the window at the passing trees. Suddenly, a bright light blinds him, causing him to squint. "Stop! I saw something."
Cruella stopped the car, the tires making a loud screeching noise aas she came to a dangerous stop. Henry let out a breath before eagerly stepping out of her car and heading into the woods.
"Well, there's no pen here, just dirt and things that smell like dirt," Cruella complained.
"I swear I saw it."
"Well, then, move those little legs of yours and keep looking. Go!" Henry rolled his eyes before walking away from her and further into the woods, his eyes searching for the pen.
As he stopped to search an area, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Henry whipped around, coming face to face with the very man who revealed the truth about him and Teresa: the Apprentice.
"Quiet," he told him. "We have little time."
"I don't understand. W-What are you doing here? You were a devoted apprentice to the Sorcerer your entire life. What unfinished business could you possibly have?"
"You, my boy. I am here to prevent you from making a terrible mistake. You must not resurrect Cruella De Vil."
Henry glared at him. "So the pen can bring someone back. You told me it couldn't."
"That was a necessary...half-truth. Up there, yes. Down here, the rules are a little more...flexible. I saw no reason to tempt you. The dilemma you are currently in is why."
"I'm not getting the pen for Cruella. I'm getting it for me. I just watched my mom become the Dark One, I watched Hook die, and I couldn't do anything, and now...now Teresa and my moms are being forced to stay down here by Hades."
"You are the Author," he said. "As such, you should use the quill only to record the stories, not create them."
"I don't care about the stupid stories anymore. I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines, I want to be a hero. I want to help my mom and Teresa even if it means helping Cruella."
"In the Sorcerer's mansion lie all his great works of light magic, the quill included. It is protected by a powerful spell, but the sheriff took the key from me. Acquire that key and the quill is yours."
Henry blinked in shock, not having expected him to actually help after saying he shouldn't use it. "Wait, what? You're...You're helping me?"
"This is your choice, Henry, but the only way that I can move on is if you make the right one. I trust you."
➳
Liam Jones was now present in the group. Teresa was a bit shocked to learn that Hook had a brother, but pushed that away as David placed a wooden box on the kitchen counter.
"In the world above, this is where I found the Storybook. So..." Snow opened the box and began searching through it for Henry's book, but soon frowned when she doesn't find anything. "Sorry."
"Are we really surprised, Snow?" Teresa said. "That book is the embodiment of hope, and there's not a lot of that here in Hell."
"Let's keep looking," David suggested.
Teresa slipped off the stool and began making her way towards the living room area. Hook followed, and the pair of them began searching the room together.
"Trouble in paradise?" He asked.
Teresa sighed as she glanced at row unconscious Alice that laid on the couch before bending down to look underneath it. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Hook smirked. "Do you honestly think I don't know about the kiss?"
Teresa sighed as she rose her feet. "Snow never could keep a secret very well. She told you fast, I see."
"Actually, Emma was the one to spill the beans, but I'm sure she was first told the secret by her mother." Hook's smirk turned into a wide grin. "I must say, I knew it would happen sooner or later. I had my suspicions of the peaks of young love long before your bound was revealed."
"It appears everyone did," Teresa muttered while searching the book shelf.
"Where is the young lad anyway? Where one of you are, the other is usually right behind."
Teresa scoffed. "Hell if I know."
"So there is trouble in paradise? Come on out with it, Holmes."
"No thanks," Teresa bluntly said, before flashing him tight smile. "I'd much rather find this book so we can get our names off those tombstones and go home."
Emma and Liam then ascended the stairs, and when Hook seen the look on Emma's face, he grew concerned. "You alright?"
"Yeah. Fine. Let's keep looking." Emma began walking toward Teresa and Hook, just as the door opened and Henry walked in.
"Hey. What's...going on?"
"Oh, looking for the Storybook, you know, Underworld Edition," Teresa replied.
"Really?" Henry was honestly relieved to hear it. "Well, I think I might know exactly where it is."
He had everyones attention now, as they all looked over at him.
"How would you know that?"
"The Apprentice. I saw him at..." Henry hesitated for the shortest moment, causing Teresa to roll her eyes as he was about to lie again. "At Granny's. He said the Sorcerer's mansion is down here and there's a bunch of his stuff inside, like the storybook."
"Finally, some good news," Regina said in relief.
Henry shifted on his feet. "Well, sort of. The house is locked with magic, and the sheriff has the key."
Hook glanced over at David. "Your evil twin is sheriff? Hades has panache, I'll give him that."
"Well, it's time for my brother and me to have an overdue chat."
"Well, you won't be alone. I still owe him a punch in his pretty mouth for kissing me," Snow said.
Teresa smirked.
David's eyes widened in jealously. "He kissed you?"
"Thought it was you," Snow said as she headed for the foor.
David now very ready to go speak with his brother. "Let's go."
As soon as they were gone, Liam looked at everyone in the room before speaking. "In the meanwhile, we should all go about our usual business. Hades has eyes everywhere. We can't have him learning what we're up to."
"Fine plan. Can't wait to see the look on his face when he learns a valuable lesson...one should never mess with the Brothers Jones."
➳
"What do you keep lying for?" Teresa asked, as she walked down the sidewalk of the Underwold next to Henry. "You know that you can tell me, right?"
"I know," he said.
There was a long pause before she dipped her head in a nod. "Alright, no need to tell me then." She then came to a stop, stepping in front of him. He stopped as well, as to not collide with her. "At least tell me it's not dangerous."
Henry chewed on the inside of his cheek, his eyes boring into hers. "It's not dangerous."
As Teresa searched his eyes, she soon let out a scoff. With a shake of her head, she turned on her heel and left him standing alone.
A frown formed on his face as he watched her leave, but it disappeared as his grandmother was suddenly rushing toward him.
"Henry," she panted slightly. "Here, we found it. Take it to Emma and Regina, I've got to get back to David."
Before Henry could even ask where his grandfather was, Snow White took in the direction that she had came. Henry glanced down at the key before looking ahead at Teresa's retreating back. He took off in a run toward her.
"Teri," he whisper-shouted, once close enough to her. When she didn't turn around, he let out a sigh before snatching her wrist and pulling her to a stop.
She swiveled her heel, coming dangerously close to his face, which made her heart race, despite how upset she was with him at the moment. She recovered and sent him a glare. "Save it, I don't want to hear any more lies."
"She found it," Henry smirked as he held up the silver key to the mansion.
She arched a brow at him. "And?"
Henry frowned. "You don't want to come?"
"Not if it means I have to hear more of your lies."
"I'm not lying," Henry said. When she gave him a disbelieving look, he sighed. "Well, not really anyway. It's a partial lie, but it's nothing that you need to worry about."
"Clearly it is if you can't just tell me, or anyone for that matter, what is wrong."
"I'm trying to find the author's quill," he suddenly blurted out. "So I can save my family, save you. It could help us, Teresa."
"But I thought you destroyed it?"
"According to Cruella, after I snapped it in half, it came here."
Teresa's eyes widened at the mention of the black and white haired woman. "Cruella? The same Cruella who was included in my capture? The same Cruella that was going to kill yo — "
Teresa was cut off as his lips were suddenly on hers. No matter how much she wanted to kiss back or how good it felt, she stepped back and stared at him in shock. She reached up and touched her tingling lips, her eyes going wide. "Why'd you do that?"
"I was trying to get you to stop talking."
Teresa smirked. She then stepped forward and softly kissed his lips, her lips lingering in place for a long moment as she savored the moment. When she pulled back, he was the one to echo her previous words.
"Why'd you do that?"
She smirked. "Because I wanted to." That being said, she brushed past Henry and began heading for the Underwold version of Granny's where Emma, Regina and Alice were.
➳
After getting Emma, Regina, Alice, Hook and Liam, they made their way toward the mansion. Teresa was surprised Hades would even put the mansion in Underbrooke — Regina's new name for Hell was quite amusing, if she was being honest. It made Teresa wonder if maybe Hades predicted that they would go there, as be seemed to like to play games with them.
"The mansion is here," Hook said, just as surprised as Teresa. "I guess old White Beard was telling the truth."
"Do we have the key?" Liam asked.
Hook nodded. "We have it. But there's a protection spell on the door. Could be dangerous to open it."
"Oh, well, I suppose I should do the honors. I've been dead the longest. I'd say I have the least to lose."
Emma handed over the key as Hook stared at his brother. "You always were the noble one, weren't you?
Liam placed the silver key within the door, and after giving it a twist, the door opened.
The house was full of cobwebs and over turned furniture.
"Wonderful," Hook muttered. "I love what they've done with the place."
"We should split up," Alice suggested. "It'll be faster."
Emma nodded in agreement. "Henry, uh, you got to stay here."
Henry's eyes widened. "But this was my idea. I'm not gonna stand behind and do nothing."
"You're not doing nothing. You're the lookout, with Teresa."
Teresa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Lookout...really?
"Lookout?" Henry groaned.
"Don't argue with your mother," Regina said.
"But..."
"Or your mother."
Alice smirked before following Regina, Emma and Hook going in another direction, and Liam in another. This left them alone.
Henry sighed, turning to his soulmate. "Well, let's find the pen."
Teresa nodded. "Lets."
➳
They walked with their fingers laced together as they searched for the author's pen. It had been nearing a half hour and they still had no luck, but Henry was saying after every couple minutes that he could feel himself being drawn toward its magic.
"It's there," Henry suddenly said, dropping Teresa's hand. He walked into a room and looked around, before his feet began dragging him toward a lamp.
Teresa was next to as he bent down at a lamp and peered up underneath the shade. There, he found the author's pen. He pulled it down, causing it to flow a bright blue color at his touch.
Teresa smiled. "Nice work, Mills."
Next, he pulled out some of the author's special ink from underneath the lamp shade. "Come on, let's head back."
➳
When they had gotten back to the apartment, Henry had insisted that he needed time to think of ways that he could use the quill to help Teresa and his mothers, even though Teresa had offered her company. She understood that he would decline it and didn't press further on the matter as she let him be alone for a little while.
They now stood at the kitchen counter with the Storybook laid out in front of them.
"There's nothing in this entire book about Hades," Snow sighed.
"Liam ripped out every page. On behalf of my brother, I'm sorry."
"Maybe there's something else in here that can help us. Our Storybook had all kinds of secrets in it."
"Well, Henry's kind of the expert on Storybooks. Where is he?"
"He's upstairs, going full emo teenager." Emma said, which caused Teresa to roll her eyes.
"He just doesn't want to talk to anyone right now," she said.
"Well, maybe he just doesn't want to talk to his mothers...or his girlfriend." David then turned on his heel and disappeared up the steps.
There, he found Henry deep in thought and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey, there. What's my favorite grandson up to?"
"Nothing. Just thinking..."
"Mind if I think with you?" Henry gave a shrug, allowing David to cross the room and sit on the bed. "So...what are we thinking about?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay. Let's talk about me." David let out a sigh before speaking again. "I had a...pretty bad day today. I learned that my twin brother resented me his whole life."
"I thought he grew up a prince?"
"Guess he wanted something else, what I had...a loving mother."
Henry inwardly groaned. "Please don't make this a lesson."
David smirked. "Too late. See, some people would give anything to have a family like yours, Henry. Because, whatever's going on with you, you know you always have someone you can talk to. Or if you just want to stay up here and be a teenager, that's...cool, too."
After patting his grandson back, David headed for the stairs.
Henry closed his eyes for a moment. He hadn't wanted to tell Teresa about the quill, but she was able to see right through him. But now that his grandfather had spoken to him, he felt like he needed to share it with everyone.
"Wait."
David stopped, turning to face him as Henry rose from the bed.
"I need to show you something."
Without another word, Henry moved past his grandfather and headed down the stairs. David followed close by, his eyebrows knitting together as he wondered what his grandson was about to reveal.
When they reached the bottom step, Teresa flashed Henry a quick smile.
"I want to show you guys something," he said, after returning Teresa's smile. He walked over to the table and pulled from his pocket, the author's pen. It was still glowing.
They all gathered around and stared wide-eyed at the flowing pen.
"I'm assuming this is the infamous author's pen?" Alice asked.
Regina nodded. "I thought you destroyed it."
"I did," Henry replied. "But that just brought it here. The Apprentice told me where it was. I thought if I used its power, I could be a hero."
"Henry, what made you think you needed to do this?"
"At first, it was Cruella. She wanted me to use it to bring her back to life."
"Why would you help her?"
Henry met his birth mother's gaze. "To help you. She said you have all this guilt about killing her, and that's when I realized I have all this power and I ignore it. I just live in everyone's shadow. I want to be the hero instead of the one the heroes rescue."
"I understand that. But that's not the way to do it."
"I know," he said. "And that's why I'm telling you now. I finally understand what the Apprentice meant. I'm gonna write the stories as they are, and I'll start with Hades. I'm gonna use the pen the correct way...to re-create his story."
"Hades went to a lot of trouble to keep us from learning his story," Snow said.
"Which means we're onto something."
"Question is, what is Hades trying to hide from us?"