Part 1

Eric took a deep breath and leaned against the car in the driveway. Being closed off in OSP for too many hours straight made even him crave some fresh air. They'd had a trying case that had required all his concentration and more. But they'd solved it, closed it and were now all working on the inevitable paperwork.

Well, almost all of them.

A black car pulled up behind the one already in the driveway. Doors opened and Sam and Callen got out. They'd had the pleasure of closing up the case in the field, meaning informing those involved of what could be informed.

"Alright, Eric?" Sam said.

"Yeah, just needed a break", Eric said.

Callen opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud sound from further down the road. Eric frowned and shared a look with the agents. He could not tell what that sound was. Then suddenly a bang ran out and the sound stopped. Callen and Sam were already on their way to check it out, with Eric not far behind.

They came up to an old abandoned building, that had previously been a storage unit. Cautiously Callen poked his head in.

"Hello? Anybody here?"

No one answered. Callen looked back at Sam, who shrugged, and went ahead inside. Once inside they could here someone speaking. Or yelling.

"Do you here that?" Eric asked.

"Sounds like they're shouting 'Dorothy'", Callen said.

They walked around the corner and found the owner of the voice. Eric peeked over Callen's shoulder and his heart stopped for a second. The person in front of them was a young woman, dressed in a long red old-timey looking dress. She was on her feet looking around the place with a searching, scared expression. Her long dark brown curls were messy and her eyes frantic, but even so she was very familiar.

The name came tumbling out of his mouth without hesitation.

"Red?" he said.

The woman turned to him. She bent forward slightly, squinting, with a confused look on her face. For a horrible moment Eric thought he had made a mistake, that it wasn't her. After all, it couldn't be her. But then her confusion turned to shock.

"Eric?" she said. "Is that really you?"

A smile broke out on his face and he pushed past Sam and Callen and all but ran up to her. He saw her starting to smile as well right before he pulled her into a hug. He held her tightly, reassuring himself that she was real. He heard Callen saying: "I'm guessing they know each other", behind his back, but wasn't really paying attention to him.

"I can't believe…" Red mumbled into his shoulder.

He let go of her, looking at her face.

"How are you here?" he asked. "How did you get here?"

Red looked at him up and down, around the room and over his shoulder, probably at Sam and Callen. She bent impossibly close to his face with a peculiar expression on her face.

"Am I in…? Are we in the World Without Magic?" she whispered.

Eric nodded and noticed that she didn't look too surprised.

"You know about this world?" he asked.

She nodded.

"A lot has happened since you left", she said.

She straightened up a bit and frowned at him.

"So this is where they banished you to?"

"Yes", Eric said and felt a painful stab to his heart. It had been so long since he had allowed himself to remember his early life. His other life.

"I haven't seen you since…" he began before remembering exactly when he'd last seen her.

"Since the people ran me out of our village with pitchforks and fire?" Red filled in.

"Well yeah, since then", he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, before turning somber. "Red, I'm so sorry about Peter."

Instantly her eyes hardened and she took a step back.

"Do you know how he died?" she asked.

"I do", he said and took a step closer towards her. He knew the horrible circumstances around Red's boyfriend's death. But he also knew that it wasn't her fault. "I know, and I'm so sorry."

He stared her in the eyes until she got it. She nodded.

"It's, um… it's better now", she said. "I can control… it."

He nodded to show that he understood. Of course, he didn't actually know how werewolves worked and how she could control it, but it didn't matter.

"I'm sorry about you and this whole thing", Red said. "And about Althea."

The name caused another stab to his heart.

"Have you… have you seen her? And my father and Evan?" he asked.

"Your father is doing okay", she said. "I've seen him a couple of times. Evan is doing good; he's a smart kid."

He noticed how she didn't say anything about Althea, but he also didn't really want to bring her up anymore. Instead he asked the one thing he was wondering more than anything.

"But how did you get here?"

"You know", Red said, grimacing. "The usual. Me and my friends were fighting this…" she threw a look over Eric's shoulder again and turned down her voice a bit, "… this witch. And for some reason and somehow she sent me here. The others must be left in Oz."

The last sentence came out as something more of a realization for herself than anything. But as she had mentioned fighting, Eric took a better look at her.

"You're bleeding!" he exclaimed.

A gash ran across the side of her stomach, at least two inches long. She had some other minor cuts and bruises, but nothing as bad as that one. Eric instantly took of his short-sleeved button-up that he wore over his t-shirt and gave it to her to cover the wound.

"Okay, I have no idea what's going on here", Sam said and stepped forward. "But do you need an ambulance, miss?"

"It's not too deep", Red said and stared at Eric with begging eyes.

"No, it's fine", Eric said to Sam. "I'll take her to the hospital."

"You sure?" Sam frowned.

"Yes", Eric said determinedly and took Red's hand. "Come on, let's go."

He caught Sam and Callen sharing a look, but continued walking Red out. He would have to answer a lot of questions tomorrow. He was already coming up with answers. Why was she dressed like that? She was cosplaying. Who is Peter and Althea? Old friends. What was the girl doing there? She got lost. How did she get hurt? She fell… He realized he might have to come up with some better lies, but that was a problem for later.

"Eric! I can't go to the hospital", Red hissed in his ear.

"I know", he said. It would be too complicated, too many questions. "I'm taking you to my place. I'll do what I can for you."

She nodded, relieved.

Once out on the street, Eric turned back to Callen and Sam.

"Tell Hetty I'm taking a personal day."

Callen nodded and Eric guided Red over to his own car. Surprisingly she opened the door and got in the passenger seat without questions. Eric frowned. Surely they couldn't have invented cars in the Enchanted Forest since he left? Either way, he got in and praised himself for grabbing both keys and phone when he went out on his break. That break felt like ages ago.

Once the engine was on and they were in motion, he glanced over at Red.

"Are you in pain? Will you be fine until we get to my apartment? It's twenty minutes away."

"I've been in worse", Red said.

"Well, that's not reassuring", he said.

"I'm fine, Eric", she said with a little laugh.

"Where were you?" he asked. "I mean, where did you come from? The Enchanted Forest?"

"No, from Oz", Red said.

"Oz? I didn't know Oz existed for real!"

"Have you seen the film here?" she asked.

"Yes, but how in God's name do you know about that?" he said. "How do you know about films? And cars? And the unofficial name of this world?"

"A lot has happened since you left", Red said again. "I'll tell you the whole story when we get there, if you want."

"Yes please", Eric said.

They drove for a bit in silence. Red was staring out her window, but Eric saw that her eyes weren't moving; she wasn't actually enjoying the view. She was biting her lip, wearing a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yes", she said. "I'm just worried about my friends."

"I'm sure they're fine."

"I hope you're right."

She looked out her window again for a second, before shaking her head.

"So who were those two guys back there?" she asked.

"Oh, that's Sam and Callen", Eric said. "I work with them."

"What do you do for work?"

"I work at NCIS."

"I'm sorry, what?"

He grinned at her.

"You might know about cars and films, but I doubt you know much about Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"Oh, like the FBI or something?"

Eric threw her a shocked look. How did she know about the FBI?

"I have watched some tv-shows about agents and stuff like that", she shrugged. "But you're not an agent, are you?"

"No, no. I'm the Tech Operator. I do the computer things, as Deeks would've put it."

"Who's Deeks?"

"Another agent. I work mostly with Callen's team, which consists of him, Sam, Deeks and Kensi."

"I see."

She was quiet for a bit, seeming to be contemplating something. So Eric decided to answer her unspoken question.

"Yes, I'm happy", he said. "I miss my family sometimes, but I've moved on. I have a life here, and I've had it for a while now. I have a new family, new friends."

"Good", Red smiled with a pleased look on her face. "Because I know how hard it is when you feel like you don't fit in."

Eric threw a glance at her. She meant it.

"It was very difficult at first", he said. "Every step was hard to take. Not to mention the fact that I didn't know anything about this world. But I found good people. I went to school and got a job. Technology really is amazing!"

"I'm glad you've found your way", Red said.

After a minute they drove off the main street and down towards his apartment.

"It's not much, but it's close to the beach which is all I can ask for", he said and showed her inside.

"Do you live alone?" Red asked.

"Yep. Second floor."

They took the stairs. Eric unlocked the door and held it open for Red to pass through. He tried to look at his home through a stranger's eyes. A narrow hall with flip-flops on the floor in a pile and a surfboard leaning against the wall. An open kitchen and living room with simple furniture and little decorating. Three screens covering one wall and different cords and cables everywhere. His bedroom door stood open, revealing an un-made bed.

"I like it", Red said. "Though I do prefer red to all this green and blue you've got going on."

Eric grinned and turned to her with a comeback on the tip of his tongue. But he forgot it when he saw that Red was a bit paler and still clutching his shirt to her abdomen.

"Hey, come here", he said and led her to lie down on the couch.

He went over to his bathroom and grabbed a first-aid-kit and something for the pain. He tended to her wounds, made her drink water and eat something, and borrowed her a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Thank you", Red said sincerely as she sat propped up on one end of the couch an hour later with a bandaged stomach and dressed in his clothes.

"No problem", Eric said.

They sat quietly, looking at each other. Eric never thought he would ever see anyone from his previous life again. Red had been one of his best friends. They grew up together in the village. The same village that both of them had later been driven out of.

"Would you tell me about it?" he asked.

"About what?"

"About everything. How you know about this place? What happened in the Enchanted Forest after I left?"

Red took a deep breath but instantly winced and grabbed her side. She took another breath and tried again.

"Do you know who the Evil Queen is?" she asked him.

"Of course", Eric said. The Evil Queen had terrorized their land; everyone knew who she was.

"Do you know who Snow White is?"

"Not in the Enchanted Forest, no", Eric said. "But I know the version from the stories in this land.

"Right, okay. Well, around the time I was driven out of our village, I met Snow. We helped each other out. She was on the run from the Evil Queen – her stepmother – who wanted to kill her. Snow became, and still is, my best friend. Eventually she met David – prince Charming – whom she later married. I helped them take their kingdom back from the Evil Queen and everything was pretty great until the Evil Queen decided to get her revenge. She wanted to take away everyone's happy ending, and did so by placing a curse on almost the entire Enchanted Forest. We were all transported to this world, to a small town in Maine called Storybrooke. She took away our memories and replaced them with fake ones."

"Wow", Eric said, frowning.

"Yes", Red nodded. "I for example was called Ruby Lucas. I worked at my Granny's diner and wanted nothing more than getting out of the small town I was from. In reality Storybrooke was secured, no one could leave and no one could come in. Time stood still. And that's how it was for twenty-eight years, until Snow's daughter came back, broke the curse and got everyone's memories back. But that's a whole other story."

"Do you still have Ruby's memories?" Eric asked.

"I do. That's why I know about this world. I was one of you for a long time."

"Huh", Eric said, trying to wrap his head around all of this. "Is Storybrooke still here? Wait, didn't you get here from Oz?"

"Yeah, a lot happened after Emma broke the curse. Most of us are still in Storybrooke, but I left to go back to the Enchanted Forest."

"Why? Wasn't everyone transported to Storybrooke?" Eric asked. "Was there even anyone left?"

"Some were left there when the Evil Queen cast the curse. I left Storybrooke because I felt like I didn't fit in. At first I thought it was because I was the only werewolf around; that that was why I felt alone. I went back to the Enchanted Forest to find my pack."

"You have a pack?"

"For a little while, yes. It… it was my mother's."

Eric's eyebrows rose. Red had never known her mother growing up.

"I got to know her a few years before the curse", Red said. "She, um… she died not that long after I met her."

"I'm sorry", Eric said and reached over and rubbed her knee.

"It's alright", Red sighed. "It's complicated, but it was a long time ago. At least I got to know her and she taught me about the wolf and how to control it."

"What does that mean, 'controlling it'?"

"It means that I keep my mind when I change into a wolf. I'm aware of what I'm doing instead of blacking out like I used to."

Eric nodded.

"So did you find them? The pack?" he asked.

"No", Red said. "Instead I made some new friends and one of them decided to accompany me on my journey. I tracked the pack to Oz, but it turned out to be a false trail. Instead we met Dorothy."

A gentle smile stretched out on Red's face as she said the name.

"That's the name Callen said you were shouting in the abandoned building", Eric remembered. "Is she the Dorothy for the Wizard of Oz?"

"She is", Red said and grinned even wider. "But, I mean, she's an adult."

"That's so cool", Eric said. "Even though I am from the Enchanted Forest I never knew that so many stories from this world actually exist."

He looked over at Red and realized that she was lost in thought.

"What?" he said.

"Huh?" she looked up at him.

"What were you thinking about?"

Red opened her mouth to reply but closed it again.

"Dorothy?" Eric guessed. "You were shouting her name before."

"She was with me when I got transported", Red said. "I didn't know if she had come with me. And, well… she's my one."

That sweet, gentle smile was back.

"Your…?" Eric began before he understood. Her one. "Oh! Really? You and Dorothy?"

Red grinned and nodded.

"Wow!" Eric said. "That's a twist."

"Oh, if you think that's a twist, just wait until you hear about Regina and Robin Hood", Red scoffed.

"Who's Regina?"

"The Evil Queen."

"What?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that. She, sort of, turned good."

That was a bit too confusing for Eric, so he decided to just leave it.

"So do you live in Oz now?" he asked instead.

"Yes, sort of", Red said. "Dorothy wanted to stay with her people and I obviously want to be where she is, so Mulan and I decided to stay."

"Mulan?" Eric said. "You know Mulan?"

"Yes, she's the friend I mentioned. The one who joined me on my journey. She was also there in the fight earlier, so at least she and Dorothy have each other now. I hope they are okay."

Red mumbled the last sentence mostly to herself. Eric frowned.

"How are you going to get back?" he asked quietly.

"I'm going to Storybrooke", Red said. "I'll travel to Maine and hope that I can find a way in and then I'll somehow get from there to Oz."

It sounded difficult even in Eric's optimistic ears. Looking over at Red, he could tell that she also knew how far-fetched her plan sounded. But she had a determined look on her face, and Eric knew nothing was going to keep her from trying all her best to get back to where she belonged.

"So everyone is not in Storybrooke", Eric said tentatively.

"No, not everyone", Red eyed him, knowing what he was actually asking. "But your family is."

"They are?"

"Yes, Granny's diner is a bit of a hotspot, so I've seen them a couple of times through the years."

Eric nodded. It was hard even just hearing about them.

"Evan is doing great in school", Red continued. "He's really smart, like you. I heard he's doing an internship at the hospital. Markus is also good. He works down at the dog shelter and is always the first to volunteer to help out for festivals and markets."

Eric smiled. This was what he remembered his father as. Not specifically working at a dog shelter or on festivals, but the idea of him. Loving, helpful, big fan of animals. It was relieving to hear that how he remembered his father was equal to how his father still was.

Red had still not said anything about Althea, though. At first he thought he didn't want to hear about her. That it would be too hard. But he had to know.

"And Althea?" he asked.

"She's also in Storybrooke", Red said after a moment of hesitation. "She's good. She doesn't talk to her father much anymore."

Red was avoiding Eric's eyes.

"I feel like there is something you're not telling me", he said.

She made a grimace, which was all the answer he needed.

"What?" he asked.

"I heard she's married", Red said.

Eric was expecting to feel devastated, or angry, or anything along those lines. But all he felt was a dull ache for the life he'd lost. Somehow he wasn't broken up about the fact that Althea had moved on. Did he even really have a reason to be angry about it? He had moved on too. Maybe he was actually relieved. Maybe it would've been worse to hear that she was still longing for him. They were never going to see each other again, and she most definitely deserved to be happy. Maybe he was actually happy that she'd found someone.

Eric looked up to see Red studying him.

"It's fine", he said.

"Is it?"

"Yes", he nodded. "She deserves to be happy. I'm… I'm glad she found someone."

Red looked a little disbelieving.

"Can I ask", she said, "what happened?"

It was painful memories they were diving into, but Red had shared her story. She had told him about her mother, curses, and her worries about her friends. It didn't feel right to not tell her about his story. She hadn't been there when everything went down; she had already been chased out of the village.

"As you know, I fell in love with a princess", he began slowly. "But I was certainly not someone a princess could be in a relationship with. Althea didn't care, but we knew everyone else did. After all, I was just a stable boy."

"That's the title of your fairytale", Red said quietly.

"It is", Eric smiled, a little bittersweet. "'The princess and the stable boy'. It's unfortunate that my real story didn't end as happily ever after as that one did."

"It's alright", Red said. "I mean; my story is more cheerful than real life. I don't think anyone thought that Little Red Riding Hood was also the big bad wolf."

She wore a grin, but it was just as bittersweet as Eric's.

"Right. Well, you where there for the part where we sneaked around", Eric said and Red nodded. "We were in love, and no one knew. Until someone did. It wasn't long after you left. Someone in their castle saw us and reported it to her father. He was livid. I thought for sure he was going to kill me. I spend a couple of days in his dungeons. In the meantime, Althea convinced him to spare my life. He agreed, but instead of death I was punished with banishment. I got to say goodbye to my father and little brother, and during my last night Althea managed to sneak down to my prison. The next day her father brought in someone who could create a portal to another world; a World Without Magic. And that's how I landed here."

Red reached over and took his hand.

"I'm sorry", she said quietly.

Eric took a deep breath.

"It's okay. I'm –"

He was interrupted by a loud shrill noise. Both of their eyes went to the phone on the table. They stared at it for a moment, both so engrossed in their stories that the world around them had ceased to exist. Eric shook his head, trying to shake out of it, and reached over and picked up his phone. The corners of his mouth moved upwards as he read Nell's name on the screen. He had two missed calls from her from earlier, and now a text.

Are you okay? Callen said you took a personal. I tried to call but you didn't answer.

"Who is it?" Red asked.

"Nell", Eric said, while typing a reassuring reply. "She's my friend and colleague."

"Really?"

He looked up from his screen and met Red's look.

"Huh?" he said.

"Just 'friend'?" Red grinned a little teasingly. "I saw that expression. I don't think this girl is just your friend."

Eric smiled.

"She's Nell", he said.

"That's not an answer", Red stated, but softened down. "But I'm glad you've moved on."

She smiled at him and Eric smiled back.

"Did she wonder where you went off to?" Red asked.

"Yep."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I met an old friend who needed some help. I'll have to make up some more substantial lies for when I get back to work, but I'll worry about that later."

Red nodded and picked at the fabric of one of his cushions.

"Thank you for this, Eric", she said. "For helping me."

"No need to thank me", Eric said. "I'm just glad to get to see you again."

"Me too."

They sat in silence for a while. Eric saw that Red was getting tired. She had worry-lines visible on her forehead, a wound on her side and other bruises that probably still hurt, and dark circles under her eyes. He couldn't bring himself to say something reassuring; something along the lines of "your friends will be okay", or "you'll get home soon", because he really didn't know if that was true. Instead he stood up and declared he was ordering pizza for dinner.

They ate and talked about lighter things. Eric spoke more about his job. It wasn't often he got to do that. After all, working with NCIS Special Ops tended to require some discretion. But Red wasn't from here, nor was she going to stay, so he could talk freely.

Eventually Red fell asleep on his couch. He'd seen the signs; her eyes dropping, their conversation slowing down, but he knew she would object if he suggested that they turned in for the night. Slowly, he let her doze off on his couch.

He stood up when she was quietly snoring. Rubbing his face, he went to get a glass of water. It had been one heck of a day. He'd never thought he would ever see anyone from the Enchanted Forest again, and suddenly one of his best childhood friends dropped from the sky. Eric was so exhausted from the day, but he knew he would never be able to sleep. So instead of retreating to his bedroom, he grabbed some paper and a pen and sat down by the kitchen table.

Dear dad and Evan…