Gone.

Storybrooke was gone.

The thought went through her head over and over again. Two weeks ago, she had been Lacey - a girl she thought she knew, but who really wasn't right at all. Since then, everything had gone wrong, and there had been nothing she could do to stop it. As soon as she'd gotten her memories back, Rumpelstilskin had been taken from her, and all she had been left with was a list of things to do while he was away. Though she had followed the instructions he'd set forth to protect the town, either she did something wrong, or it just wasn't strong enough. People had come from seemingly everywhere and poured into Storybrooke, ruining the lives of all of the citizens. Most had holed themselves up in the Library, where Belle - of course - granted them safety. What else was there to do? The person she loved most was gone, but that didn't mean she didn't love the people of this town as well.

They had spent three days hiding, hoping that the strangers wouldn't discover their hiding spot. But they had, eventually. Even while Belle was pouring through book after book, trying to find a way to let everyone return to the Enchanted Forest - there had to be a way, and they would be safer there than here - the door was suddenly attacked. They were ramming into the door repeatedly, and she was out of time. The others who had been reading alongside her dropped their books and went for their weapons. Unarmed, and not really able to fight even if she were armed, Belle began simply skimming pages, flipping them faster than she thought she could read. Now was the last chance.

The door burst open and her head snapped up, staring in the direction of the gaping hole, unsure what to do. Belle was certain the fear was etched on her face, but did her best to continue thinking of a way out. There was a back door. She also knew of a way to get into the vents - much good it would do her if they torched the place like they had the other buildings. Her precious books would be gone as well as Mr. Gold and her neighbors. If she managed to make it out, it wouldn't be worth it. Everything in her world would be demolished.

Sometimes, Belle decided, courage meant not running away, even if you knew you would lose. Standing her ground, she refused to leave the others who were prepped for attack. Shoes echoed in the library, louder than they should have. Out of nowhere, a cloud of smoke formed, and Belle couldn't see anything, let alone her intruders. The citizens of Storybrooke began to panic - she could hear them breathing more shallowly and coughing, yet at the same time could hear the voices of the enemies. That's what they had become, after all, when they had barged in and wrecked the place.

The smoke made her eyes water - so much so that she nearly missed the glowing light that skidded across the floor towards her. What in the world..? She backed up quickly, but ran into the table she had been reading at before the conflict began. There was really no where to escape now. The light expanded into a ray of blueish-purple light that shone up into the ceiling of the library. It widened into a large strip of light, and came at her, lighting up the ceiling and walls as it spread around the library. It passed over the tops of the bookshelves, heading for the ground, the bean continually getting wider. She looked to her left to see the dwarves and Red not too far away. Red looked up and they made eye contact, reaching their hands towards each other. They wouldn't be alone in this, whatever it was. Their hands linked and Belle felt a bit better, even though she couldn't save them.

The instant the light hit her, everything around her disappeared. The smoke scent was gone, as well as the table she had been standing against. Blinking, she realized, was partly her downfall. She blinked, and when her eyes opened she was in a place she didn't recognize. She was lying on something soft but slightly damp, and when she opened her eyes she saw blue. What? That wasn't at all right. How was she outside? Where were Red and the dwarves?

A grunt to her left surprised her, and her eyes flew towards the sound. Grumpy was pushing himself off the ground, looking extremely put out. "What the hell?" He growled, looking around with his hands on his hips. "What is this place?"

"And what was was that blue light?" Red's voice came from Belle's other side.

Belle sat up slowly, looking around. The landscape was beautiful, but nothing like Storybrooke. She wasn't even sure they were in Maine at all. There were different trees here. Belle was certain she heard water nearby, but couldn't see it anywhere. "Was that a portal?" She asked slowly, turning to look at Red and the dwarves. They had all made it. A portal would explain why all of them had gone through together, after holding onto each others' hands.

"It must have been." Doc replied. "How else would we have gotten here?"

Belle groaned, feeling frustrated and confused. There were no books here, no maps. While she was fine without them, they certainly would help in a time like this, she mused.

"Let's just go somewhere." Red suggested. "Investigate. Maybe we'll run into someone."

"Or something." Grumpy replied darkly. Belle frowned at him but said nothing as she followed Red, the dwarves lining up behind her.

A/N: If you like the story, subscribe to it, or leave a review! This will send me an email :) Once school starts things will get crazy, and I really really want to remember to post the chapters. I have them written except for the last few and I hope to update every couple days. It should be done the day before the first episode of season three!

NEXT CHAPTER: Hook lets us know just how he's feeling.