Cross-posted on AO3

Chapter 3: Tensions Grow

It had been two weeks of nonstop research. Once they had all exhausted themselves searching the town, they had taken to the library and read every book that they could find on magic.

Nothing turned up. They couldn't find any answers as to what happened to everyone. There also wasn't any explanation as to how Elsa came to be back in Storybrooke, or how the other ten of them were still here.

Once the library's resources were thoroughly searched, they had moved onto Regina's vault, but Regina had so few books that it hadn't taken long to search. That and most of them hated being down in the vault. The hearts of Regina's victims were still locked away, but they could hear them beating from time to time. It was also dark and dank down in the vault, only worsening their moods.

They were on a break now. Belle had gone back to her apartment for sleep, Regina had gone off on her own, everyone else was at Granny's for lunch, while Emma and Killian had decided to go home.

Elsa had been staying with them and borrowing Emma's clothes. They thought about going to the clothing stores in town, but no one was sure when anyone would be back, and it would've been weird to write an "I owe you" note, but eventually they would have to do something. Not only with Elsa needing her own clothes, but in the last two weeks, Emma's slight baby bump had grown quite a bit.

At the moment, Emma was lying down on the couch, her hands resting on her stomach, stroking her bump, her thoughts bouncing between worry over Henry and wondering about the son growing inside of her.

Where was Henry? Was he okay? Was he safe? Was David with him? Was Robin? Were others there to take care of him?

Or did he just disappear from existence? Was he alive at all? Was it possible for something to happen to just poof him out of existence?

God, what happened to him?

Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes, running down to her ears as she stared up at the ceiling. She just wanted her son home and safe; was that too much to ask?

A sob escaped her, then another, and another until she was crying hard and loud, hoping that Killian wouldn't come in from the backyard and hear her, though at the same time, she wished that he would come in and comfort her and hide her away.

Aggressively, she wiped away her tears, and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She shouldn't be here wallowing. She needed to find a way to get Henry back.

There was a fluttering in her stomach that startled her. It was enough to give Emma pause. It happened again, more like a tickling sensation this time in her stomach.

It had been over a decade since she last felt that. With Henry, she wasn't sure that he was moving or if it was her body doing weird things, but she knew what it was now. Her baby was moving. Her hands went to her stomach again, resting on the spot that had tickled inside of her. She didn't feel anything else. It was still too early for the kicks to be easy to feel; her baby boy was still growing.

Emma stroked her stomach. The baby was still here. She and Killian still had one son to take care of, and he was safe.

"I love you." She whispered to her stomach. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Killian appeared beside her, she hadn't heard him enter, and sat next to her, his arm going around her, pulling her close. His hand reached up to wipe away her tears. "I won't either." He promised. "I'll keep you both safe."

Emma touched her forehead to his, closing her eyes. As long as she had Killian, things were going to be okay.

At Granny's Diner, the women were eating in silence. They were all sitting apart, needing space after two weeks of each other's constant company.

Everyone was tired, and tense. They had struggled through research for weeks, but nothing turned up. They weren't any closer to finding out what had happened to their loved ones.

It was driving them all to the brink. There was tension in the air that was suffocating, oppressing them all into silence, most afraid to break it least they all turn against each other.

It was uncomfortable to even be in the same room with anyone anymore.

Finally, Jasmine braved the accursed silence. "Maybe we should stop."

That got everyone's attention.

"Stop what?" Snow asked, curious as to what Jasmine meant.

Jasmine hesitated. What she was about to say wouldn't go over well. She knew that it wouldn't, but they were all exhausting themselves, all ready to snap and be at each other's throats. Someone had to be a voice of reason. "We've been searching for answers nonstop. We're not sleeping, we're not eating, we're not living. We need to take a break. We can't live like this."

They all stared at her as they processed her words.

For Elsa, it made sense. While she wanted to get back to her sister, they weren't any closer to finding any answers. Maybe a break was just what they needed. Though at the same time, a break might mean more time around the others, or more time around Emma and Killian, in a personal way. Shamefully, Elsa had begun looking at her best friend's husband in a new light. Living with him and Emma had exposed Elsa to some of Killian's finer assets as the man was mostly just used to Emma and Henry around the house, often forgetting that a shirt was necessary. It didn't help that he was charming and kind to boot. Shaking those thoughts from her head, Elsa focused on the other women.

Guinevere was actually relieved that someone else had brought it up. The others seemed desperate to get back to their families and Guinevere could understand that, but after her and Arthur's last fight, she wasn't sure that she wanted to find him again. She wasn't sure she wanted him to be her husband anymore.

Snow knew that Jasmine was right. At the rate they were all going, they were likely to kill each other by the end of the week. It was hard to agree with her though, when all Snow wanted was for Sam to be back in her arms safe and sound, and to be back in David's loving arms. Her family had been through so much already, and Snow was tired of being magically separated all of the time. But Jasmine was right.

It was hard for Ariel to hear as well, torn between being tired of the constant research and her desire to find Eric. Though she wouldn't let anyone know that she was more comforted by the fact that Killian was still with them all. She had tried early on to swim out to sea and open a portal, but when she did, she couldn't go through. It was as though there was a barrier preventing her from entering. They tried to open portals to other realms with the same result, which had disappointed everyone.

Marian's instinct was to snap. How could Jasmine say such a thing when children were missing? But then she saw the hopeful yet wary look on Jasmine's face and realized that Jasmine was just trying to broker peace between all of them. Marian wasn't sure that was possible, but at least someone was trying. Though her envy of Emma hadn't helped; having feelings for Killian while watching him hover lovingly and protectively over his wife and his unborn child was too much to see every day. Especially since Marian wanted more and more to be in Emma's shoes.

It was Aurora who replied, a white hot rage within her as she stood and glared at Jasmine. "So we're just supposed to give up? Is that it? You want us to stop looking for our families?"

"That's not what I meant at all." Jasmine started, but Aurora wasn't having it.

"I'm not going to give up!" She snapped. "You might not love Aladdin enough to fight for him, but I won't let Phillip or our son go without a fight!" Aurora stormed out of the diner before more could be said.

Silence descended once more.

Aurora's words had felt like a slap in the face, and an embarrassed Jasmine excused herself and went to the back, tears stinging at her eyes.

No one spoke up again, letting the awkwardness of the situation fall over them, all of them lost in their thoughts.

The library had once been her safe haven. It was where she worked best, reading books, doing research during each crisis that came to Storybrooke, losing herself in fictional worlds during her leisure time.

Now, Belle was sick of looking at it. She was tired of books and research. What good was it doing? So far, research had been failing her. Everyone here was missing someone. It was Belle's job to help them reunite. She had to help them.

She couldn't be helpless again. Not like when Rumple…

God, she had to stop blaming herself for that. Rumple made his choices; she wasn't responsible for him, but still that voice haunted her. What if you had seen it earlier? What if you could've changed his mind? Why couldn't you love him more? Why didn't he love you enough?

It was driving her crazy.

So was being alone. For months she had grieved him and for months she watched as other couples were happy and having marriages and children. Belle was happy for everyone, for all of her friends, but she couldn't help but be jealous. Her marriage had failed; her husband had become the epitome of evil.

Her life had been more than just this library once; now, her life was empty. There had to be more than this.

Killian came to her mind, but Belle quickly banished that thought. He was her best friend, her married best friend, and about to become a father. There was absolutely no future to be had with him.

The bells chimed and a relieved Belle looked up to see Ariel enter.

The former mermaid looked concerned.

"Ariel, what's up?" Belle asked.

"It's just something Jasmine said." Ariel said. "She thinks we need to stop searching for a while. Clear our heads."

"No!" Belle felt panic overwhelm her suddenly. Research was all that she had left; she couldn't just quit.

Ariel stepped back, shocked at Belle's forceful tone. "Belle, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She snapped.

"I think Jasmine is right." Ariel said. "We all need a break. It's been two weeks and it's just exhausting."

"We can't just do nothing!" Belle slammed a book on the table. I can't just do nothing! "We have to figure this out!"

Ariel's eyes widened. "Belle, it's all right. We're all burnt out. We…"

"I'm not finished!" Belle shouted. "I'm not stopping until I find out what happened!"

Belle stormed away, leaving a shocked, speechless Ariel.

What the hell was going on with everyone?

After the scene at Granny's, Marian and Snow had decided to go back to Regina's vault to continue looking for answers. They were discussing the merits of taking a break when they entered. It was a good idea; they could admit that, but neither were ready to quit just yet.

The vault seemed empty when they began resuming their search.

"Do you think Aurora's okay?" Marian asked.

Snow sighed. "She's in the same boat we all are. She misses her husband and son."

Marian felt a pang in her heart as Roland came to mind. "We all miss our kids."

Snow gave her an empathetic look. "We will find them, but Jasmine is right. If we don't take a break soon, we're all going to go crazy."

"Aren't we already there?" Marian chuckled. "Yeah, maybe it would be good for us to stop looking for answers for now."

"What?" Regina's voice came from behind them startling them. "What the hell do you mean we have to stop?" She rushed over to Marian, getting in the other woman's face. "Are you stupid? We can't quit!"

"Back off, Regina." Marian snapped. "I didn't mean we quit. We all just need a break."

Regina laughed bitterly. "Maybe you do, but I love my son enough to never stop looking."

Snow winced at Regina's words.

Marian froze, fury rising within her. "You need to take a step back, Regina, because you have no idea how I feel. Unlike you, my son means everything to me."

"Henry…"

"Is more Emma and Killian's son than he is yours." Marian cut Regina off. "Why else did he live with them? Hmm? He didn't want to be around you."

Snow stepped forward to get between them, but it was too late.

Regina shoved Marian forcefully against the wall. "Henry loves me." She stepped back, ready for a fight. "And so does Robin."

That gave Marian pause. She had suspected there was more still going on between Robin and Regina than Robin let on, but she ignored it just as she tried and failed to ignore her growing feelings for Killian.

"Oh, that's right, you were too busy trying to fix your marriage to notice." Regina smirked. "Robin spent more nights in my bed than yours. Where do you think he was the last night we saw him? Right between my legs."

"Regina!" Snow was scandalized by her words.

Marian, however, was quiet. As Regina's words were processed, a range of emotions ran through Marian. Shock at the fact that Robin and Regina had continued their affair, even though Robin had promised to try to fix their marriage and that Regina was behind him. Betrayal at the empty promises and the sneaking around; had that been why he decided to move out of their room into the guest room? Had he started sneaking around with Regina then and wanted to make sure that Marian wouldn't suspect anything? Anger at both Regina and Robin for making her the fool; for destroying what was once a loving marriage. Relieved that she had less to feel guilty about falling for another man.

It was too much to handle with the adulteress standing right in front of her with that smug expression.

"Fuck you, Regina." Marian's words were quiet even as they were filled with rage. She left the vault and didn't look back.

Regina caught Snow's disappointed and angry look. "What?"

Snow shook her head. "I can't believe you, Regina."

Regina watched Snow leave too, and rolled her eyes. Let them be mad; she didn't give a damn.

In the two weeks that she had been here, Elsa felt just as alone as she had been in childhood. Instead of locking herself away in her room, she was locking her emotions away inside of her. She tried not to, worried about her powers getting out of control, practicing them when she could, careful not to let the snow and ice get out of hand. Especially with her newfound crush on Killian, which only kept her emotions buzzing whenever he was near.

Everyone else was wallowing in misery, drowning in their emotions. She hadn't had the chance to get to know or befriend the other women, and Emma and Killian, her only friends here, were wrapped up in each other and their baby and their pain over Henry's disappearance. Though considering her feelings for Killian, Emma and Killian not noticing her was actually a good thing.

But as of right now, she felt like she was on the outside; like she had no connection to them. She hated feeling alone.

"Hey." Emma joined her on the bench where Elsa had been looking out at the sea. "Enjoying the view?"

Elsa shrugged. "I prefer mountains." She tried not to let any guilt show; it wouldn't do well for Emma to find out how envious Elsa was of her.

Emma chuckled, her hand automatically going to pat her stomach.

A flare of jealousy flashed through Elsa as she glanced down at Emma's belly.

"He's kicked for the first time today." Emma smiled. "It wasn't really a kick, more like a tickle, but he's starting to be active."

"That's great." Elsa inwardly cursed at the fact that her tone sounded strained.

Emma gave her a concerned look. "Elsa, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Elsa lied. She winced when she remembered Emma's super power.

"Elsa." Emma's tone was urging.

"It's nothing, okay!" Elsa pushed herself up off the bench.

"Hey, whoa." Emma stood up as well and walked over to her friend. "You can tell me anything."

"Just leave me alone." Elsa shrugged her off.

Hurt filled Emma at her friend's standoffish behavior. Did she do something wrong? Did she say something to make Elsa mad?

Her phone went off, and Emma checked it. "We, uh, we need to get back to Regina's vault."

"Fine." Elsa didn't look at Emma as they headed to Emma's car.

The oppressive air in Regina's vault was too much, and Killian could tell that emotions were running high no matter how hard they were all trying to hide it. Killian had no idea what was going on, but it was clear that everyone was upset with someone.

Something had to be done.

"All right." Killian tossed the book he was reading aside.

The women turned to him.

"We're all stuck here together." Killian continued. "I don't know who pissed off who or why, but we've got to be in this together."

"Jasmine thinks we should stop looking." Aurora glared at the woman in question.

"I said we needed a break!" Jasmine argued.

"We can't stop looking!" Belle piped up.

"We're all tired." Snow spoke up quietly.

"Regina and Robin were fucking behind my back." Marian said none too happy.

That certainly shut everyone else up.

"He was unhappy with you." Regina snapped back. "You were forcing him to stay trapped in a loveless marriage."

"I did love him!" Marian snapped. "I loved him and wanted to make it work, but you took him away!"

Killian and Emma shared a look, wondering what the hell to do with that information.

"Okay, look, that's enough." Killian stood up. "Marian, you're justified in hating Regina right now."

"Hey!" Regina protested.

Killian's glare silenced her. "But we're all stuck here, we're all missing our families and friends, so we all have to work together and live with each other."

"We do need a break." Emma spoke up next. "We're constantly with each other, and constantly researching. We need a break from all of this, and we all need space."

"That said, the break starts now." Killian said.

"It might as well be indefinite." Regina said.

Guinevere sighed. "What do you mean?"

"There are no magic beans here." Regina started. "Hook's ship can't fly without pixie dust or the shadow. Ariel can't get through the portals that she creates. The well won't open any portals no matter what I throw down there. And worse, I went to the town line earlier. There's another invisible barrier. Our magical solutions aren't working."

"Where does that leave us?" Ariel asked.

Regina took a breath. "It means that we're stuck here with no way out, and magic isn't working like it should."

"So even if we figured out what happen, we won't be able to fix it?" Belle looked distraught.

"Pretty much." Regina said. "We're screwed until further notice."

Thanks for reading. Please review if you want.

Jenny.