A/N: Let's take a peek around at all our players, shall we? Seven short chapters posted together - because, really, I don't need to up my ch. count, and there are just too many of these back to back shorties to ignore.


~Hurried Magick~

Emma had tried everything she could think of. Causing a distraction, putting the soldiers to sleep, but either her magick was of no use, or she really should have taken lessons from Regina when the witch had offered.

She jumped a little when thunder boomed overhead, followed closely by a flash of lightning. She was so startled, she nearly fell over her net.

Slowly, she realized, they absolutely had a reason to look up now. They might even spot her. Her hair wasn't exactly camouflaged.

She had a flash of inspiration. Perhaps she could use magick to free Yar. Distraction, and freeing a comrade. And Yar might even start fighting again, if he were able.

She focused.

~Charming Castle~

There were no new sightings of Emma since they'd seen her washing her face in the river.

There had been no news from Belle since she had been on the rowboat heading to an island.

Regina was losing her mind, not knowing. The sad truth was, she was handling all of this much better than Emma's parents were.

Snow either stayed in her own room, or moved to the tower where Regina had found her.

David had only left their room to go to his stateroom. A King's job was never done.

They ate their meals together in their shared bedchamber.

Regina and Roland ate in the kitchen with the staff. She took a note from Emma, and kept busy by helping them work, getting her son to do the same. When she wasn't busy, she had a nasty feeling in her gut. Something was very wrong.

And she had no idea if there was anything she could do about it.

~Smee II~

The little man looked around him, staring at the two potions he held in his hands. It had been impossible to find a bean, or any other way out of this realm, and he knew his time was running out.

He had been in a tavern, practically giving up, drowning out his sorrows in rum, when he met a woman - was it a woman? - he was a bit tipsy. The person sat with him for a while, chatting, asking about his sorrows.

He had been too drunk to lie, or think better of his situation.

But it had been a blessing.

The person turned out to be a witch, and transported him to the edge of the Charming castle. She told him she could help, explaining what her plan was to get him out of the realm.

That overgrown boy really was a magnet for portals.

~Haze~

Neal looked up from his bed. He'd asked to be placed in the dungeon, where he belonged. He should have asked David instead of Snow. He couldn't imagine David denying him that, especially after asking for it specifically.

He knew something was going on, but not what. He only saw another human when they brought him his meals, which made him feel more like a prisoner. This thought eased his mind, slightly. He deserved a proper punishment.

Now, however, hours away from his next meal, the door had opened. No one entered. No one closed it. Looking the door up and down, he realized a cat was looking at him from the crack in the door.

He realized the summer heat must be growing, as the general hue around him turned bright, and slightly reddish pink in color.

He smiled at the feline. "Why hello there."

The cat seemed to cock it's head, before disappearing out the door.

Unknowing what compelled him, he chased after it, overlooking the fact that there were no guards where they were supposed to be.

The cat was far down the hall, sitting, licking its paw.

He moved slowly, closer, until almost upon the black furball. He could almost touch it, when it shot off again.

He followed it through halls, down stairs, and out the door. Not once had he seen another human soul, not once had it occurred to him as strange.

He continued following the cat, until deep in the woods, the cat vanished.

He kept going, aimlessly, wondering what the hell happened -

Tripping, he fell down…

Down…

Down…

The last thing he remembered seeing before blacking out was a bright red cap.

~Cut Loose~

Emma felt like she had just gotten the hang of this made up spell, when another bolt of lightning and roar of thunder startled her out of her concentration. It was raining directly over the castle, and would be here momentarily to darken the skies directly above her. At least the clouds would provide her some cover.

She decided to try something a little smaller. She was going to attempt to use her magick to cut through the binds around Killian.

She focused until she felt something snapping, fraying.

She looked over to the tree he was attached to. She couldn't see if it was working, but the men standing just a few meters away from the pirate would notice if his binds suddenly came loose.

She went back to freeing Yar, feeling slightly more confident.

She felt the dirt loosen around the spikes. One, then another.

"Gotcha." She opened her eyes. She'd been found.

~Stormfall~

Killian was beginning to wake. In these early moments of consciousness, all he could feel was the throbbing pain in his head, and leg. Least it wasn't as bad as that one time after drinking too much in a pub when he swore he saw himself punching his own lights out. That was a strange night, and he had entirely too much to drink.

Everything came back to him in a rush, causing him to open his eyes despite every nerve telling him to keep them shut, lay down, take a nip of rum.

It was raining, he was laying in mud, and he was alone.

Except for Yar, who was laying next to him, keeping him warm. Somehow, the beast had escaped. Looking around, he realized somehow, he had escaped. His ropes had fallen off.

But what of Emma? What of the soldiers?

He tried standing, slipped in the mud, then tried again. Once on his feet, he realized they had left his hook in his leg. He tied some of the frayed rope round his leg, right above the hook, then he removed and reattached it to its rightful place. Then he hobbled as fast as he could to the other end of the clearing where he knew their nets were supposed to be.

He found her bow, quiver, sword, and her knapsack just laying there before he even looked up

Both nets were still there, as was his knapsack.

But Emma…

He fell to his knees. He had no idea what happened to her.

He angrily pounded the muddy ground with his fist and hook, a cross between a shout and a growl escaping his lips.

He had failed.

~A Moment in Time~

Belle was poking around the cots belonging to the missing sister, Atty (as Clo called her.) Atty had left this island just as Lace had before her. Belle knew there was a way, but Graham and Red had just returned from attempting to row out into the ocean just to see if they could reach the ship that had brought them there.

He couldn't even row past the shoals, having found the invisible barrier.

"I'd look in Lace's things." Clo spoke, startling her. "Atty wouldn't hide things, she would remember them and destroy the evidence." She pointed to the fire.

Belle sighed deeply. "Not that this isn't a lovely home, but I'd much rather go back to mine."

"You and me both." The Goddess nodded, turning back to her chore of chopping fresh vegetables from her garden.

"I never imagined Gods had to eat." Belle commented.

"Really, we do, just not like you. Once a day is enough. We do enjoy food, though. But I can't keep the job going by myself, and the chores keep me occupied. Besides, you and your friends do need to eat thrice a day."

Belle moved over to the next cot. "Is this one Lace's?"

Clo glanced over. "No, that one's mine. Feel free to look, but I have no intention of hiding anything."

Belle nodded. She had to get off this island. Regina wouldn't be able to send Clo the magic ring if she couldn't find them. Their plans had been a long shot, she knew. She'd lost track of time here, the whole thing felt like a dream.

She wondered if Emma was having any luck on her end.


Thank you for reading