She stood outside the door. She tried to convince her legs to move. Her body seemed intent on disobeying her commands. It was frustrating and completely ridiculous. She had to go inside at some point. She had to see...

The door was simple. The vast majority of the buildings here were. There wasn't a knob or even a lock. Just a handle to pull it open. She almost reached for it. Emma's hand stayed steadfastly at her side. Apparently it wasn't just her legs refusing to do as they were told. It wasn't supposed to be like this, he shouldn't be in there. It was all wrong. She took a deep breath and examined the small wooden building before her. It was a single story. Two windows on each side of the building. The windows were larger than on most houses here. Jefferson's idea, said Victor would like the extra light. The entire thing had been his idea really.

When Victor had first come back, when he was still unconscious and healing, still getting better. Jefferson had told them that Victor would be restless when he woke up. He would need something to keep his mind occupied. So they had started building this place. They hid it from Victor as best they could. Although Emma figured he had known something was up. Had known there was a reason they kept disappearing on him. It was supposed to be a surprise. A sort of thanks-for-saving-everyone-we-are-glad-you're-back surprise. A welcome home gift. It was going to be a sturdy building, one that would stand the test of time. A good hospital.

Sure it was only one story now, but with more time. As the kingdom re-established itself, as the people looked to new ideas, they would come here. They would come to him. The Doctor. She had even laughed with Jefferson about what it was going to do to Victor's ego. To be the only doctor people trusted. To be the only authority on a subject so important to their survival. David had suggested that maybe, down the road, Victor could have trained other doctors. And generations from now, every single doctor in the Enchanted Forest would know the name Frankenstein for one reason. He was the first doctor. He was the one who brought science and reason to a land so previously dependent on magic. His name would be synonymous with healing. With life.

The man had still been recovering in his tent, barely aware of who he was, and they had been planning his future. His future here with them. Emma vowed to one day track down this Death character and punch him in the face. He was to blame for everything that happened. He was the reason Victor was lying in there. The reason Jefferson had disappeared, that Ruby had been crying in the back room of the tavern where she thought no one could hear her. The reason Emma Swan, one time Sheriff, saviour, and dragon-slayer, couldn't find the courage to open a door. Couldn't move the seventeen steps it would take to get her to where they had placed him.

She barely knew the man. They had had maybe, a dozen conversations? Why would this be so hard for her? They were barely friends. Except. Except for the fact that she knew they were supposed to be friends. This niggling sensation in the back of her mind that wouldn't stop. It told her they were supposed to get drunk and laugh at the magic around them. Bond over being the only two people who weren't raised on fairy tales and happily ever afters. That she hadn't been the only outsider, the only one who sometimes missed her old life, as terrible and flawed as it had been.

This was supposed to be his hospital, his place to work. He shouldn't be lying in there. He should be moving all the supplies in. Organizing everything. Getting annoyed at how often people were getting hurt while trying to hammer a nail. Fixing bones and sewing cuts. Spouting off about how he couldn't work in these conditions, how there wasn't even any electricity. Grilling the locals about what plants could be used for healing. Figuring out a way to synthesize any drug they had back in Storybrooke. She had no doubts he would have been able to do it too.

This was all her fault. If she had been quicker. If she had just realized what he was going to do. If she had been holding the orb instead of him. He probably would have been able to patch her up in the woods. They would have limped back, she would have spent a day or two in bed and that would have been it. Instead, all she had been able to do was put her hands on his chest and watch as his blood stained the snow around him. Listened as he had gasped for breath through bloody lips.

She had promised Henry that she would look out for Victor. That she wouldn't let him fall behind, that he wouldn't be alone again. Henry was in there. In the hospital. Had been for two days. Two days since they had come running back. She didn't even remember where the horses had come from, when they had arrived. One minute she was kneeling, her hands desperately trying to keep all his blood from rushing out. The next, David was pulling her away. Regina had done some kind of spell, and then David had grabbed Victor, thrown him on his horse, and rushed him back here. She had tried to gauge his condition then but she didn't know anything about medicine. None of them did. She had tried to catch Regina's eye, tried to see if maybe the spell she had cast had instantly saved him.

"I did what I could."

Not the most reassuring of comments, but she had still held out hope. Still believed that she would get back to the town and Victor would be fine. He would be complaining about having magic save his life again. He would be annoyed that the orb and the flame had been destroyed without getting the chance to study them properly.

She knew that no matter what guilt she was feeling, it was nothing compared to what David felt. When they had told him the whole story, when he realized what Blue had almost done, he had been devastated. He had gone back into the forest yesterday. Searching for Blue. Emma wasn't sure if David wanted to find her, didn't know what he would do if he found Blue alive out there. He returned a few hours later. No sign of the missing fairy. She would never tell anyone, but she really hoped Blue was dead. She had no forgiveness to give her, not after watching Victor suffer and...

Emma had almost gone to see Victor that first night after they brought him back. To talk to him alone, to say what she needed to say. But David had been in there, clutching Victor's too pale hand. She couldn't hear what he said. But there were tears in his eyes. She knew it was an apology. For not listening to Victor. For believing Blue. For not being there to protect him.

Henry had been asleep on a nearby cot. They brought a cot in just for Henry and put it next to Victor's bed in the hospital. He never left Victor's side. They had thought about trying to get him to leave but Emma had opposed that idea. Henry needed to be in there. It was how he was dealing. How he was fulfilling his promise to Victor, not leaving him alone with Death. He wouldn't come out until...

"Still haven't gone in yet?"

"Where the hell have you been Jefferson?" Not too long after David had laid Victor down in the hospital, Jefferson had disappeared. Had grabbed his hat and left without another word to her. He had spoken to some of the others before he left. She hadn't really paid too much attention. She might have had a slight concussion. Granny had told her to sit down and rest. That they would take care of everything, take care of Victor.

She had seen Jefferson come back in to town not too long ago. Had seen him speaking to Regina. Desperate times, she supposed.

"I had to make a few short trips. Had to pick up a few things."

"I thought travel between realms was too dangerous right now. You said there was a sixty-five percent chance you could get stuck in whatever realm you jumped to. You risked being separated from Grace?"

"A man who isn't willing to risk everything for his family, can't be a very good father anyway."

"Did you get everything you needed?"

"You know I did. Emma why..."

"Because what if I open this door and on the other side is exactly what I fear. Exactly what everything, every experience in my life has taught me is true. The good guys don't always win. Sometimes, good people die for no reason. And there is no magic spell, or potion, or last-minute save. Sometimes life is just shit. While I'm on this side of the door, I still have hope. Regina's spell kept him in a state of suspended animation, right on the edge of death. She said we had exactly two days until it would stop working. That deadline passed twenty minutes ago. You only got back into town an hour and thirty-seven minutes ago. What if I open this door and it wasn't enough. What if he's dead behind it?"

Jefferson took Emma's hand. She wondered if it was strange to be comforted by a man who had once drugged her and held her at gunpoint. Who had once kidnapped and tied her mother to a chair. Who had always believed in her. She was getting used to a lot of weird things anymore.

"What if he's not?"

She squeezed his hand slightly, then released it. He was just as worried as she was. Just as scared. Neither of them wanted to think they had lost a family member today. This time, her arm obeyed her command. She pulled the door open and Jefferson followed her inside. They walked slowly toward the back room. The main room in the front was just three cots and some shelves for medical supplies. They still had a lot of work to do in here. The back room was Victor's living area. They had originally intended to make Victor's living space much larger, a living room, a bedroom, a full kitchen. Jefferson had told them it would be a waste. Victor wouldn't spend much time in the living room or kitchen. Victor wasn't the type to sit on his couch and do nothing. He would most likely spend most of his time in the hospital area. Just throw a couch in there. Leroy was still working on the couch. Still trying to get everything ready for the doctor.

One more door and she would know the truth. Would know if their Hail Mary play had actually worked. The door slammed open before she reached it. Henry ran out.

"Mom!" He ran to her. Wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her shirt. She closed her eyes. Oh god, it hadn't been enough. She almost cursed herself for allowing the idea of a happy ending to enter her mind. For ignoring what she deep down knew was true. This was reality, not a fairy tale. She looked down at Henry. Wondering how she was going to help him get through this. He smiled up at her.

She tried not get excited, tried not to let hope worm its way in. She didn't know if she could handle having her hope crushed twice in such a short period of time.

"He's alive! It worked. The potion worked!" She smiled and hugged Henry tighter. Henry was crying. She somehow managed to keep her own tears held in. Jefferson brushed past them without a word. He had to see for himself. Had to know for certain. She understood. She felt the same way. Henry pulled her into Victor's room. Regina and David stood in the corner. David was smiling, unrepentant tears streaming down his face. Jefferson stood on one side of Victor's bed, watching. His hands twitching by his sides, wanting to reach out. To reassure himself that it wasn't a trick. Victor looked the same as when she last saw him. Just as pale. Just as still. But he was breathing. It was past the time that the spell should have ended, and he was still breathing.

They were all cautiously optimistic at first. Each day he appeared to get stronger. They watched as his color returned slowly, his breathing lost that horrible rasping sound. The potion was apparently only a "strengthening potion" as Regina had described it. A potion so rare that the ingredients couldn't all be found in this realm. A potion that Regina admitted she had never actually tried before. Very few people had. It was only to be used on those already within Death's reach. Already in his grasp.

"It won't actually heal him. It will just allow his body the extra strength and time it needs to heal on its own. It will only work if he fights." Of course he would fight. He was Victor Frankenstein. The man was all about fighting for life.

They all took shifts. Sitting by his side, talking to him. Trying to guide him back. Nobody left to go on a bathroom break without having someone take over to watch him. They didn't want a repeat of the last time he had woken up from an injury. Speaking of. He had been showing signs of waking for the past few hours. Emma waited, impatiently.

"your...not...me...you?"

"What? What did you say Victor?" She moved to get him some water. He turned his head. His eyes parted slowly. He was looking right at her. She felt herself really breathe for the first time in several days.

"you're...not going...to hit me...again...are you?" She smiled and almost slapped him right then and there. She probably would slap him later for all the stress he had put them through. After he had healed up a bit.

"I'm thinking about it. Maybe we can actually knock some sense into you one day."

Emma was sitting to his left. He noticed the chair she sat in, the wooden walls around him. This wasn't his tent.

"Where...am I?" He tried to shift slightly, to see his surroundings better. That was clearly a mistake. His vision swam. Pain radiated throughout his chest. Cartoon stars might have appeared in front of him, he couldn't be sure. He regained his sight to find Emma closer, out of her chair. Her hand on his head.

"Your room behind the hospital." Ok, now he knew he was delirious from pain. That couldn't have been what she said. Were they still in the Enchanted Forest? He tried to convey his confusion to Emma. He might have only succeed in grimacing at her. She seemed to get the message though. Apparently it was all quite funny.

"I'll explain it all to you later genius." He was a genius, there was no need for that tone.

"Alright."

He thought about trying to move again. Emma's hand on his chest prevented it.

"Don't even think about it. You need to rest up. You are going to need all of your strength for what's coming."

Had he missed something? Had his estimation on the effects of fire and electricity been off somehow? Had the Blue fairy's plan succeeded? When the orb shattered it should have...Wait. Why wasn't he dead?

"Why am I not dead? Don't say magic." He was getting a little tired of how often magic was being used on him.

"Magic." She was actually smirking now. There was no reason to be so smug about it.

"I will tell you all the details when you are feeling better. Jefferson said if we told you about the potion we used on you, you would just jump out of bed and spend the next week trying to find a way to synthesize it."

Well that was hardly fair. He would at least wait a few days until he had the strength to stand. Although it wasn't like he was going to be doing anything for the next few days. And really, it didn't take a lot of energy to write some ideas down. He could just take a look at what they used and determine if a chemical recombination would be possible. He could sit in a chair for most of it. If he had a pen and paper he could at least start working on it now. He...

"Not happening. You're just going to have to suffer the not knowing for a few days."

"You're a cruel prison warden."

"I know."

"Why do I need my strength if not to work on a problem?" He really did not like that smile. It was too happy. Nothing good came from a smile like that.

"Because as soon as I tell people you are awake, you are going to be inundated with visitors. You thought we were smothering you before? It's going to be nothing compared to this. Henry is never going to leave your side. Granny is going to slap you and then stuff you full of food. I'm not sure if what Ruby intends to do to you will be appropriate for younger eyes. I will have to make sure Henry isn't around for that. I have no idea what Jefferson is going to do, but seeing as he knows you the best, I'm sure it will be the most uncomfortable thing you can imagine."

Oh lord. That man was going to invade Victor's personal space and never leave. He could only envision the sort of uncomfortable situations Jefferson was going to subject Victor to over the next few weeks.

"Perhaps you could forget to tell them that..."

"Oh no way, where would the fun in that be? Plus David wants to talk to you. To apologize. He might cry."

Ok really, now she was just being ridiculous. David had no reason to feel guilty. He hadn't even been there.

"The man was only sticking up for his friend. He should have nothing to feel sorry for."

"Yes. Say that. It will definitely make him cry."

She was too chipper, she had to be messing with him.

"You sound far too excited about all this discomfort I am going to feel."

"Just happy you're here to feel it."

Right. Why hadn't Death taken him? He seemed rather insistent on it at the time.

"Death said he was going to take me. That he was there specifically for me."

"Well clearly, he underestimated how hard your family would fight to keep you around."

Victor's throat felt oddly tight. He blamed it on his injuries.

"Clearly."

His eyes felt heavy. He could feel himself start to drift off. He tried to stay awake. There were so many more questions he wanted to ask. Especially about this "hospital." It was just so difficult. His body was demanding sleep. He supposed his questions would have to wait. Emma appeared above him, she might have been talking to him.

"Sorry. I don't mean to be rude. I'm just...rather tired."

"No problem. Take a nap. One of us will be here when you wake up."

An oddly comforting thought. One Victor was slowly getting used to.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Victor closed his eyes. He could hear Emma settling back into her chair. In his room, of his hospital apparently. He wondered how that came to be. He felt his body start to relax into the mattress beneath him. He felt the wound on his chest pull slightly, but the pain was quickly disregarded. It would heal. Though he would probably have a scar. The thought made him almost smile. It had almost killed him. The shard in his chest should have been fatal. He was sure it had been over then. More sure then than he had ever been that it was the end. That Death had finally beaten him.

The scar wouldn't remind him of laying on the ground, blood soaking his shirt, Death hovering above him. Nor of the certainty he had felt that his fate had been sealed long ago. No. That scar would always remind him of the time Death came to collect and his friends...his family, fought Death back. Of the first time he didn't have to face Death alone.

Victor drifted off to sleep with plans for his hospital, and his future, running through his mind.

A/N Tiny confession, I started this story with the intent of killing Victor at the end. But then I got here to the last chapter and I just couldn't do it to the poor guy. Thanks again for reading it all the way through, hope you liked it.