ETERNALLY ⇢ HENRY MILLS [2]

chapter thirty

Later that day, Brooke, Regina, Robin and David were stood behind Henry, watching him write the people of The Underworld's unfinished business.
"Oh, wow! I hadn't realised how much resentment I held against Bashful, thank you." One of the seven dwarfs thanked Henry, who smiled at him. "And, um, when you get back, can you tell my brothers I miss them?"
Henry nodded. "I will. You know Leroy, Grumpy, he talks about you a lot."
The dwarf smiled before walking away.

Henry turned around. "Any sign of mom and Hook?"
"No, but we still have some time before the portal even opens." David replied.

"Don't count on it!" Cruella yelled, pushing her way through the crowd. "Ugh, that's right, vermins, scatter!"
"Sorry, Cruella, but I don't think your unfinished business is going to take you to any place you'd like." Regina glared at her.
"Yeah. So you might as well go back and undress to please your man... oh wait, he's gone!" Brooke smirked. Henry scoffed.
Cruella narrowed her eyes at the teenager before returning her attention back to Regina. "Please, I'm not here to collect my story. I want to stay in this marvellous realm."
Regina realised her eyebrows.
"You see, with Hades parting, The Underworld is going to need a new ruler."
"You?" David snorted.
"It's the only upside to your daughter sentencing me to this fate. But, the job would be meaningless without the citizens to torment." Cruella replied.
"Cruella, we're not going to let you harm these people." David exclaimed.
"Oh, you think I'm just going to  keep them here? Oh no, I'm going to keep all of you here! It's only fair!" She grinned before glaring at Henry. "Considering it was Henry who refused to write me back to life and you-" She turned to David. "You dissolved my James, the best toy in the whole playpen!" She then turned to Brooke, who was gagging at what she just said. "And you made the biggest mistake of joking about it."
Brooke rolled her eyes whilst Henry took a step closer to her and taking hold of her hand, glaring at Cruella.

"I'm still waiting to hear how you're going to stop us from leaving, fuzzy. Because all your magic can do is make a dog roll over and beg." Regina sassed.
"True, I don't have the magic to keep you all penned in here..."
"But I do!" A witch Brooke recognised but couldn't place suddenly appeared and waved her hand, making them fall backwards and fly into the room they were previously in. The door then shut.

David immediately got up and ran for the door but Regina stopped him.
"You forced my hand, child eater!" Regina yelled, holding up a ball of fire and throwing it at the door. The group jumped back and Henry stood in front of Brooke to protect her.
"What the hell?!"
"That's right! No one's getting out before sunset when the portal closes!" Cruella shouted from outside. "And then, no one's getting out!"
"Consider it payback, Regina! For tricking those children to burn me in my own oven!"
"Ta ta!"

Brooke punched the wall next to her before immediately wincing at the pain.
"Brooke, be careful!" Henry yelled, taking hold of her hand and looking at her knuckle, which was definitely going to bruise. "Why did you do that?"
She sighed and leaned against the wall. "I consider you as more than family to me... but right now, I miss my real family."
Henry sighed and pulled her in for a hug. "It's okay. We're going to get out this. Cruella isn't going to get in the way."

Brooke smiled a little, thankful she had Henry in her life and hugged him back. His hugs were one of the main things that could calm her down or cheer her up.

"I don't get it. The blind witch's spells are always... half baked." Regina said.
"Unless this isn't her spell," Robin stated.
"Hades." Brooke mumbled, just loud enough for the others to hear.
"He wants us trapped in here!" Regina exclaimed.

***

After about ten minutes of waiting, Emma reappeared, but Hook wasn't with her.
"Mom!" Henry shouted, running up and hugging her.
"Where's Hook?" Brooke asked, being the first to realise.
Emma didn't answer, but they could tell what had happened due to the tears in her eyes. "I'll explain later, we have to get to the... thing." She stammered.
"We can't. The blind witch cast a spell, trapping us here." Regina told her.
"Let me guess, she got it from Hades?"
Regina nodded.
"This whole thing has been a setup to keep us trapped in The Underworld." Emma stated.
"You mean the ambrosia-?"
"Wasn't there." Emma finished off for her father.
"So, Hook... h-he can't leave?" Henry stuttered.
"He can't move on, but he wanted to make sure we all got out even if he couldn't." Emma replied, sadly.
Henry gulped and took a step back, Brooke wrapped her arms around him and hugged him from the side, Henry hugging back a little.

"Well then, let's give him his wish." Regina announced.
"Yeah," Emma whispered.
The two women held out their hands and bolts of magic shot from their palms, hitting the door, shaking it. Soon enough, the doors opened and Henry's face lit up, which made Brooke happier.
"Let's get out of here."

"The portal! It's closing!" Emma yelled as the group ran as fast as they could.
Henry made sure Brooke ran in first before he did. But she paused as she turned back around and looked past the cemetery to the main street of The Underworld, just within her render distance was Gold's shop. She thought about Pan to herself for a moment, wondering whether he was watching her during their time in The Underworld when Henry snapped her out of her thoughts, causing her to spin back around and run through the portal.
Once the two ran through, the rest of them followed.