A/N: This was an idea that came to me towards the beginning of season 5b. It diverges from canon after the episode where Hook is saved. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine :(

nyctophilia:

(n.) love of darkness or night. finding relaxation or comfort in the darkness.

Hades liked to think of himself as a connoisseur of torture. It was a prepossessing title, unnecessary except for the subtle fear it strikes in those he intended it to. His darling Persephone had first coined the term and he had admired it ever since. Swirling a glass of expensive wine, eyes locked on a mirror that showed him the boring lives of the inhabitants of the Underworld, Hades took pride in being a connoisseur. He knew the mortal body in considerable detail and knew the mortal soul even more intimately. The soul was delicate. Pulling just the right string could unleash a flood of painful memories, regrets, and dreams. It would be resilient at first, capable of withstanding such an onslaught of emotion, then it would finally drown. Hades's guidance would reconstruct the soul into a beautiful, twisted thing, something inhuman and devilish and capable of creating chaos. He recalled that it was Edgar Allan Poe who once said, "The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls." The man was right, of course. There was only one soul that Hades had ever encountered who wouldn't break. He had molded the soul, had even loved it, but in the end it had left him. It resided in the world of the living now, forever overprotected by its dreadful mother. But that was ancient history.

The arrival of living humans in his world was, at first, a minor annoyance. An inconvenience, you could say. Hades had a certain disdain for living souls and wanted them gone as soon as possible. When the ragtag team of heroes saved three of his souls, he was beside himself with anger. It was a terrible mistake on their part. Now he didn't only want them to stay in his domain forever, he wanted to inflict immeasurable amounts of pain on them. Hades's hair heated until blue flames flickered in the dim light. He envisioned the pain he would impose upon them. The captain only had a small sample of what he was capable of. They had no idea what was in store for them. His mind ran through the list of intruders. The Dark One was already taken care of. The captain was no longer of use to him. The two Charmings...they would be fun to destroy, seeing as they were the sole problem of his current lack of souls. He knew better than to underestimate the savior, but she could easily be controlled through her child. The thief that accompanied them was irrelevant. Then there was the headstrong Evil Queen. He felt particular pleasure at the thought of that tortured soul. Yes, Regina, the reason a good many of his souls were trapped in the Underworld. It was disappointing how she had grown negligent over the years. Her commitment and rage reminded him strongly of his Persephone. She was even lucky enough to resemble his old lover in appearance. Hades intended to show Regina the light, or rather, the darkness. She was the key to destroying his new enemies.

A smirk played across his lips as he brought the wine glass up to them, relishing in his plans. The woman at his feet worked diligently on his pedicure, pleasure on her decent face as she worked to please him. During her life, she had been a simple maid from the Enchanted Forest. Working in Regina's castle had eventually brought about her death. Now, he pictured the woman's murderer in her place, a smile forming on his pointed features. A Queen forced to kneel before a god. It made the fire within him ignite.

Hades sensed another's presence and allowed the double doors leading to his lair to be wrenched open. The current Dark One stepped in, followed by one of Hades's guards. Hades grinned, shooing the maid at his feet away and stepping into a comfortable pair of slippers. The woman left the room quietly, along with the guard that had brought in his malevolent imp.

"What do you want?" Rumplestiltskin hissed, eyeing Hades with disgust and calculated rage. There was pride in the imp's dark eyes, an element that Hades despised. Pride was ugly and begged to be fixed with a whip or knife, but the god decided to allow it for now. He needed Rumplestiltskin compliant to his will, after all.

"Have a seat," Hades gestured, a leather chair appearing next to his throne. The Dark One came forward cautiously, sitting carefully as he stared at Hades with aged and cunning eyes. Hades poured the man a glass of wine and added an ample amount to his own glass, before sitting down. There was a pregnant silence as Hades eyed the man before him, contemplating his next words. "You're very convenient. Tell me about the Queen."

"What about her, exactly?" Rumple returned with an air of impatience. He had not yet taken a sip from his glass.

"The wine is quiet delectable, I assure you." Hades confirmed, a threatening edge to his voice. Rumplestiltskin complied easily and brought the glass to his lips. "Tell me... Her weakness, what makes her tick, what makes her toes curl, her dreams, how I can break her until she is nothing but a vessel for my own use." If the imp felt any emotion about Hades's requests, he didn't show it. The corner of his mouth twitched upward as if he had expected Hades's questions.

"She's a captivating creature, isn't she?" The Dark One's husky voice spoke. "What makes you think I can answer all that you wish to know?"

"I have my reasons. Go on before I become bored." Hades ordered. Rumple sighed deeply and Hades added, "Good boy."

"Regina has always had the foolish notion that she can be happy and have the taste of darkness upon her lips. Unfortunately, the former sentiment has been more important to her as of late." He paused, and Hades gave him a nod to continue. "She feels emotions more deeply than any other human I've encountered, making her extremely dangerous and unpredictable, but easy to manipulate if you know how her mind works." He took a sip of wine and his eyes met Hades's as he said his next words. "The key to Regina is her mother."

"Ah, Cora. She's facing eternal punishment as we speak. Fascinating woman." Hades commented, thinking of a woman clothed in rags, pushing a wheel barrel of flour for eternity.

"Yes," Rumple agreed, eyes turning downcast as he thought of his former lover. "She was a neglectful mother, resulting in Regina becoming easily attachable and willing to do almost anything to be shown affection and approval. As for her weakness, her boy, Henry, will be her downfall. You'll wake a sleeping dragon if you try to do anything to him." Hades smirked, picturing the small boy in his mind. He'd love to tear that small frame limb from limb, forcing Regina to watch. Or it would be even more effective to order Regina to perform the deed of crushing her own son's heart. It would make for an excellent punishment. "Is that all you need?" Rumplestiltskin asked, seeming exasperated at all of the sudden reflection on his student.

"No. I need to know everything." Hades demanded. Rumplestiltskin knew exactly what the god was referring to.

"Regina... Can take a lot more abuse than you would think. She's a strong woman, and after all these years, I believe part of her craves the pain she is forced to endure her every waking moment. There is a reason she is the only one standing in the way of her own happiness. You could ask the question: what would she be without her anger and pain? She insists that she isn't weak, and has killed for being called so, but when she isn't in control, it takes her back to her childhood where she had no taste of freedom, and it... Comforts her, in a way." Rumple seemed almost awkward as he spoke of this, feeling a sense of shame and betrayal as he told Hades Regina's darkest secrets. "The scent of apples reminds her of her mother and she becomes terribly insecure at anything to do with that woman."

"Thank you, Dark One. You crafted her perfectly for me. I have one more task for you."

"Yes, Your Grace?" He asked, slipping in as much sarcasm as he could without angering Hades.

"Fetch the Queen for me."

Regina kneeled on the floor of her manor, sifting through boxes to find any remnant of her mother. To the naked eye, the prestigious home looked abandoned, but Regina had found the packed boxes hiding in a closet. Her fingers held tightly onto a book she discovered as she pulled it from the newspaper-filled cardboard. Her eyes wandered over the dusty cover and the red, heart shaped jewel that dominated the front. Breath bated, she opened the book to a random page. Magical words and symbols met her eyes along with mythical drawings that she remembered spending long nights committing to memory. "Mommy," she breathed thankfully, preparing to kick start her magic by taking the raw spells into her system. As she prepared to take a big whiff of the magic, a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Regina wasn't surprised at all at the intruder and turned around to sneer at her former teacher.

"You don't get to decide what I do or don't do, Rumple." She spat her nickname for him with malice, standing and clutching the book in her hands. Rumple's presence meant her entire body was on alert. A fire ball would be quick to conjure if she needed to.

"All I'm trying to do, dearie, is get it through that thick skull of yours that Hades doesn't want you to have magic, and not playing by his rules will end badly." Regina never liked to be corrected and her eyes scanned his haggard appearance coldly.

"I don't care." She huffed, attention turning back to the matter at hand. Her fingers ran over the mystified symbols and she leaned in to take a deep breathe, then the book vanished from her hands. Rumple now held it, and stared at her with a look Regina couldn't quite describe, but figured was boastful and ill-intended. "Give that back. It's mine." Regina growled indignantly.

"I'm doing you a favor." Rumple warned. Regina was prepared to argue, but he held up his hand to silence her. "Hades has called upon you for a meeting." The news came as a surprise to Regina, who figured the god would be after the Charmings before her. Every reason Hades might possibly want to speak with her ran through her mind. She had saved her father and had helped Wonder Boy and What's-her-face move on, but so far, that was all she had done. One million words wanted to burst from her, but Rumple was still silencing her and she didn't have a death wish. The imp finally lowered his hand and Regina formed a sentence she felt best expressed her thoughts.

"I'm rather distracted at the moment. The god of the Underworld can wait." She quipped, eyeing the book in Rumple's hand once more. Rumple noticed, and to Regina's anger, poofed it away.

"I'm under specific instructions, Regina." He explained in a dark voice, stepping over an abandoned box to come toward his old apprentice. Regina watched him carefully and the message became perfectly clear.

"You're working for Hades." She pointed out, disgust and fear churning in her stomach. "How could you?" She began backing away, realizing that Rumple was not her friend in that moment. It was hard to tell sometimes, but if he had just admitted to working for Hades, she needed to be far away. "If we plan to get back to the real Storybrooke, we need you." Regina continued to back away until her back was pressed firmly against the wall. She was aware she had no magic and would have to follow Hades's orders, but there had to be another way. Whatever Hades had in store for her couldn't be good. Rumple stood in front of her, darkness across his features as he held out his hand.

"Take it." He demanded. Regina shook her head, staring at the ringed hand like it would lead her to her doom. "Hades wants you to come by your own free will. Now, take it." Rumple's tone woke up something that had stayed dormant inside of her for many years. There was nothing she could do and she found herself placing her hand in his, while looking up at him for some kind of sign that she had done what he had really wanted her to do. The imp had no expression on his face and they disappeared in a poof of dark smoke.

A/N: Please feel free to leave me your thoughts in the comments! Thanks for reading!