A/N Hello there! Thanks for clicking on my story! This is another idea that wouldn't leave me alone. Man, "Not What He Seems" has really inspired me. The hiatus, as horrible as it is, helps. This was meant to be a one shot, but since I have a hard time writing those, this is now a three shot.

Enjoy part one!

The Other Side

He ran hard and fast, desperate to reach his destination in time. Behind him, the sky was ominous as dark grey clouds formed, warning of an oncoming storm, but if he made it in time, he wouldn't have to worry about the storm or anything in this nightmarish dimension ever again. But up ahead it the distance he could see it, a rainbow shining in the darkness like a beacon. The sky around it crystal clear, a shooting star pointing the way, guiding his path to freedom. He didn't belong here, he never did and after thirty years it was time to come home.

He glanced at his watch counting down until the prism of colourful lights converged and the doorway home would be opened. There wasn't much time left so he had to hurry. He couldn't miss this. It very well may be his only chance.

As he neared the dark woods he readied his weapon, a large, long hunting knife with a strong broad serrated blade, and made sure his gun was easily accessible, knowing that danger lurked within these woods, dark and dangerous creatures with a taste for anything human. Pure humans were rare in this world, he was pretty certain that he was the only one since in thirty years he had yet to encounter one. Though many had been human once.

Almost there…he thought.

The watch on his wrist beeped a couple of times and he looked at it. "Only a minute left…" he murmured, pushing himself forward, the beacon of light getting closer and closer and brighter and brighter as the colours began to slowly merge, swirling into a circle forming a bright white brilliance in the center. The portal, his way home. Soon it would open enough for him to get through.

When he reached it though he hesitated, remembering with clarity the toll it had taken on him when he first went through it. The journey nearly killed him, draining him of all his energy leaving behind a deep ache that rendered him practically immobile for days, something he wasn't looking forward to. Man up, he told himself, you won't be entering a hellish dimension like this one, you'll be home. It may hurt, but at least I will be safe…

He could hear voices on the other side, though he couldn't understand what they were saying, nor did he recognize them. The sound was too distorted from the portal but he had a few guesses on who might be on the other side. His best guess was that it was his old colleague who helped him build the portal many years ago, but it could easily have been complete strangers. But no matter who is was, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that soon, very soon he would be home.

Another sound caught his attention, coming from behind him. He turned to spare the sound a glance and watched as a gang of vampires emerged from the shadows, only the brilliant white light keeping them at bay.

"You're too late!" he told them, "So back off!"

One vampire dared to risk the light, hissing in pain as he stepped forward.

"The journey will kill you," he warned the vamp.

"Your realm is a feast," the vampire grunted, fighting the agony and deep burns.

"You cannot go into my world," he snapped, "I will not let you!"

"Try…" he dared.

He glanced at his watch. The timer counting down. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Suddenly there was an explosion of light as the rainbow merged and everything went white, as the door opened and he fought the pain to push his way through. Something slammed into him though, hitting him hard. It nearly knocked him off his feet, the object hard, yet soft. He could hear screaming coming from the other side, the sound of pure fear and desperation.

He pushed forward but he could hear something behind him, the vampires hissing with pleasure and he spared a look and startled when he saw a human child lying motionless on the ground. Some of the vampires fought the pain of the light to reach her before it became too much and they retreated. He glanced back towards the doorway, towards his last chance of freedom. Towards home.

Dammit, there's not much time…he thought, glancing back at the girl as his conscience nagged at him, telling him he needed to do the right thing, putting him in direct conflict against his need to survive and get home. The Portal wasn't designed to remain open for long. In the shadows the vampires may have retreated, but ravenous, predatory eyes watched her and he knew the moment the door closed and the light went out, she would become their dinner. If she was lucky, her death would be swift, but vampires were known to play with their food. They got off on torture as much as they did on human blood.

He glanced back at the other side longingly and closed his eyes. Dammit.

In this realm, mercy was for the weak and only the strong could survive. Survival meant only looking out for yourself, and no one else. The girl was an innocent. She wouldn't last long here and yet…there was something familiar about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on…. The devastated screams from the other side helped him make his decision, as foolish as it was.

There's no time… he thought, trying to talk himself out of it. After all first rule of survival is that alliances are all dandy and fine, but when danger looms, it's every man for himself. But despite that, some sort of paternal instinct he hadn't felt in many, many years kicked in and he turned around and ran as fast as he could manage, scooping up the unconscious girl in his arms before making a break for it towards the brilliant white light that was his doorway home. I can make it…almost there…we're almost home…But the light was slowly dissipating, returning to a rainbow of lights, the door closing and by the time he reached it, it was too late.

"No, no, no, NOOO!" he lamented in frustration, unable to reach it in time.

The door closed and darkness swallowed their surroundings and the gang of vampires glowed pale and gleeful in the moonlight as they were free to emerge from the shadows, circling them giving him no way out, and with the girl lying unconscious in his arms, he had no way to defend himself.

"Fresh meat…" one of them hissed, "Been so long…"

"So long…"

"Haven't smelled pure human blood in so long…"

"Smells of innocence and youth… so tasty…must drink…"

"Give us the child old man, and we will give you passage…" the leader said, waving a long pale bony finger at him, his nail razor sharp and stained with blood, beckoning him to do as he asked.

He regarded the girl a moment. It's your fault that I'm still here, child…he thought bitterly, as it slowly began to sink in that he missed his one and only chance at going home. The bitter thought made him almost consider it, but then he thought, Lose the kid, and it would all be in vain.

"Never," he snapped, adjusting his grip on the girl so he had one hand free. He took his knife and brandished it like a sword and made a run for it, taking the head off one vampire and injuring another as he ran through the trees. The vampires gave chase, though they obviously held back, clearly deciding to mess with them, overconfident in their pursuit, playing with their food as vampires like to do. It was next to impossible to outrun a vampire, even without a young burden slowing him down. It was unwise, sacrificing his chance at going home to save the girl, and it was foolish trying to protect her now. Such acts of mercy was a sure way to get killed.

To his surprise though, they suddenly stopped in their tracks, hissing furiously as they reached a point they dared not pass. He glanced around and saw symbols carved into the trees and he sighed in relief. Someone had put up wards to keep the danger out, but still he treaded carefully. Just because there were wards, didn't mean he was on friendly grounds, it didn't mean they were safe.

He looked around carefully, moving until he reached a small shack that looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. In the distance, the storm he thought he would miss drew closer. He carried the girl to the shack and entered. There wasn't much there in the tiny, single roomed shelter, just a small overturned table, a metal cooking pot on the floor, a rusted old knife, an old iron wood burning stove, a wooden chair and a dusty old mattress with a ragged blanket. It wasn't much, but it was something. He gently set the limp girl onto the mattress, and considered his next move.

The dark clouds outside crept closer, soon they would cover the moon and throw everything into complete darkness. As it was he could barely see anything in the first place, the moon's glow shone through the single window but it wasn't enough and it wasn't going to last. Light. He needed light. He pressed his fingers against the girl's neck and sighed with relief when he felt a pulse and he whispered, "I'll be right back kid, it'll be all right."

Watching the little shack closely he gathered wood for a fire and quickly returned. He put the wood in the stove and it didn't take long before he had a fire going. The girl hadn't moved the entire time he was gone, but it was to be expected. That he had survived his own trip through the Portal many years ago was nothing short of a miracle. Some good lived in this realm, and it was lucky that it was goodness that found him instead of the many dark and dangerous creatures that dwelled here. The portal had drained him of so much energy back then, he had been completely defenseless.

They aren't very far from here, he thought, when the storm passes, I'll take you to them. They'll take care of you like they took care of me.

In the flickering light of the fire through the open door of the stove he looked her over for injuries. It was mostly cuts and bruises, his main concerns were a bleeding cut on her forehead which might mean a concussion, and her arm rested at an awkward angle. It didn't take long for him to see her shoulder had been dislocated. He gently prodded the area and the girl whimpered softly in pain as he felt where the joint had been displaced from the socket.

"Sorry kid," he soothed, wincing in sympathy, "this is going to hurt…" Just be glad that she's unconscious…

He had done this a few times before, even once on himself, but it didn't make it any easier to pop a joint back in place. The sickening sound, the incredible pain… He got himself and the girl in the right position and readied himself for the task, OK…here goes. One…two…

Of course that had to be the moment when the girl woke up.

She groaned softly, her head rocking back and forth before her eyes fluttered open, her face scrunched in pain, "Mmmm? Grunkle…? Y' look different…what h-happened?" she murmured in confusion, looking up at him before her voice faded away and she closed her eyes, She whimpered in pain, blinking owlishly up at him, "What's goin' on? Where's Di-…?" she tried to move and cried out suddenly, her voice slurred and weak, "Grunkle St—it hurts!"

"Shh, take it easy kid," he said, "you had a nasty fall…" More like you were thrown forcibly through a portal to another dimension… "You hurt your shoulder pretty badly, but don't worry, I'm going to fix it but it's going to hurt, kid. I'm sorry, I don't have any painkillers."

She looked around fearfully, her eyes wide. She was clearly disoriented which was completely understandable considering her situation, and judging by her uneven pupils, she was indeed mildly concussed, which wouldn't help matters, "Wh-where are w-we?"

"Somewhere safe," he soothed, not sure what to say. His hand brushed against the dislocated joint accidentally and she let out a pathetic cry. "I'm sorry…so sorry kid!" She bit her lip and tears fell down her face, leaving wet trails through the dirt on her cheeks. "Do you trust me?" he asked her.

"Huh?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked again, needing to know that before he tried again to set her shoulder. It was going to hurt and he didn't want the girl to think he was trying to harm her.

She sniffed and then her face went serious and she nodded, "I trust you," she sounded firm, determined, her voice surprisingly strong. Like she had debated this in her head already, like it was one of the most important decisions she had ever had to make in her life.

"OK, this is going to hurt, a lot," he told her, "but there's nothing I can give you to make the pain any easier to bear and it's important that you don't scream, hear me? Don't scream." It's dangerous enough having this fire, but I can't alert anything to our presence, if something hears the scream of a human child, something that can breach the wards, we're doomed.

To the girl's credit she looked a little apprehensive at his words, her eyes widening with fear but she nodded, biting her lip and clenching her eyes closed as she braced herself for the worst. He started to get into position again but hesitated.

He took off one of his gloves and folded it up, "Here kid, bite on this. It might seem weird, but it will help."

She gave him a funny look, her eyes focusing with confusion on his hand, and he could tell that she'd immediately noticed something wasn't quite right. She frowned and then opened her mouth, biting down on the soft leather of the glove, "Ugh, tastes funny…" she said with a muffled voice laced with pain, a small grin on her face. She laughed nervously and then nodded, letting him know she was ready.

Don't know how you can be laughing at a time like this but…OK. He shrugged and gently got back into position, "OK kid, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to count to three and then I'm going to pop your shoulder back in place. It's going to hurt but it has to be done. The longer we wait the worse it will get, got it?" She nodded that she understood, "OK, on three. One…two…" He never did get to three, instead gritting his teeth and doing the deed on two, a harsh and cruel trick, but it proved in the past to be effective. Sometimes it's easier when the pain is unexpected.

The girl bit down hard on the glove, a muffled cry escaping her as her eyes rolled back and her body tensed, her back arching off the mattress before she went completely still. At first he thought the pain knocked her out, but then she spat out the glove and breathlessly she began to sob.

He didn't know how to deal with kids, especially a crying kid. It had been too long since encountering another human, let alone a child so he didn't know what to do next. But he knew all too well the kind of agony she had just experienced and the lingering pain that remained, so he offered the only truth he could to comfort her. "It's OK, the worst is over. It's over. You're OK now, kid," he said, removing his scarf to make a sling for her arm, "be good as new in no time."

She weakly held up her good arm, reaching for him and it took him longer than it should for him to realize that she wanted to sit up. He pulled her up into a sitting position and she wrapped her good arm around him, sobbing into his shoulder. Hesitantly he wrapped his arms around the girl, patting her gently on the back and then for the first time in ages he smiled when she clutched him tightly, her forehead pressing against his cheek.

It had been so long since he had real human interaction or contact, and the girl hugged him tightly, pure innocence and love radiating from her. He knew it was because she had mistaken him for someone else, someone she clearly cared about, but it didn't matter at that moment. He hadn't had that feeling in a long time. The feeling of being needed and loved. It was nice.

"I'm sorry there's not much I can do to ease your pain, not right now," he told the girl apologetically, wishing there was more he could do. She had cost him his one chance to go home, and his heart ached with regret and longing for what was lost and what could have been, and yet he couldn't blame the girl. He held her gently, rubbing circles in her back as she cried herself to sleep in his arms, disoriented and suffering.

He was saddened by his fate. The hope that one day someone would fix the portal and that he would somehow go home was the only thing that kept him going all these years. And now, it was over. He sacrificed his one chance for this girl. And yet, the real tragedy wasn't just that he missed his only chance, but that this young girl was now just as lost and trapped as he was.

This is no place for a child.

A flash of light and a rumble of thunder outside signaled that the storm was finally here. As the rain began to hammer down on the little shack he sighed, lying the injured and sleeping girl back down on the dingy mattress, I'm sorry I failed to save us both, kid, he thought sadly, wondering what he was going to do now.

A/N I know for a fact that I wasn't the only one who thought for even just a split second that Mabel was going to get sucked in the portal during the climax of the "Not What He Seems". I'm glad they didn't go that route, but it would've been an incredible cliffie. Well, the cliffhanger we got was epic enough, but still that moment of 'what if' certainly got the plot bunnies going. I know there are a few "what if Mabel got sucked into the Portal?" stories out there already, but I hope that this is a unique spin on that kind of story. Even if it's not, I hope you enjoyed anyway.

Well guys, thanks so much for reading! Please let me know what you think! Good or bad. I LOVE any kind of feedback you have to offer.