Cross-posted on AO3.

Chapter 2: A Deserted Town

Main street was absolutely deserted. Snow had never seen it so empty in all of her years of living here. Even late at night there were still drunken stragglers and early at dawn, fisherman were heading to the docks. But by this time in the morning, even on a weekend, Main Street was buzzing and businesses were open.

Everything looked closed and there wasn't a soul in sight.

Snow hurried to Granny's, hoping that someone was there, praying that David and Sam were there.

"Snow!"

A familiar voice shouted at her, and Snow looked around.

Of all of the people to see, Elsa of Arendelle wasn't who she expected. "Elsa?"

Elsa rushed over to Snow as best as she could in her nightgown.

"Elsa, what are you doing here?" Snow asked.

"I don't know." Elsa looked panicked. "I fell asleep in my palace, and then I woke up on the side of the road." She looked around, holding herself nervously, likely embarrassed by her state of dress.

"Come on, let's go to Granny's and see if anyone is there." Snow put an arm around Elsa and began leading her that way when her cell phone rang.

The women stopped as Snow pulled out her phone. "It's Emma."

Their first call had been to Regina, hoping that Henry was at her place, but he hadn't been and Regina was furious at them for losing him.

They planned to meet at Granny's and Emma called her mother when she and Killian were on their way. It was surprising to find out that Elsa had returned somehow, and even more that no one else seemed to be in town.

Entering the diner, Emma and Killian found only a small group of people.

Regina was there with a scowl on her face; Marian was clearly trying to stay calm; Ariel looked worried, but was trying to keep her mood light; Guinevere was sitting on a barstool, the picture of calm except for her eyes flicking nervously between everyone; Belle was sitting in a booth speaking with Jasmine, who was clearly trying to put on a brave face but concern was in her eyes; Aurora was pacing frantically in a circle, clearly panicked about the situation; Snow entered from the back room, followed by Elsa, who was wearing borrowed clothes that looked to be from Ruby's modest side of the closet.

When Elsa saw them, she smiled and hurried over, hugging Emma. "Emma, it's so good to see you."

"You too." Emma said. "What are you doing here?"

"I woke up here." Elsa said.

"Let's get this started." Regina cut in sharply. "We need to figure out what happened. Does anyone remember anything strange happening between last night and this morning?"

"No." Ariel spoke up first. "Eric and I went to sleep about eleven. Then I woke up and he was gone." She was worried. Everything was fine last night, except for the distance she felt between her and Eric. They'd been reunited for over a year, but he hadn't asked her to marry him yet. They lived together, though that started only because Ariel was new to the realm and needed some place to live. Though she was friends with a lot of people, her friendship with Killian was the only relationship she really felt she had, ignoring the fact that she got butterflies in her stomach every time she was around him now.

"I stayed up reading until midnight." Belle said. "I didn't notice anything before I went to sleep." Though she wouldn't admit that she only stayed up because she was lonely. Rumple, or the Dark One rather, had been defeated by Emma ten months ago, and Belle was still struggling. Her feelings for Rumple were still there, but after seeing how evil he had become, how obsessed with power he had become, she couldn't stay with him. She certainly couldn't love him anymore. His death hurt, of course, but his treatment of her and his constant manipulation hurt even more. It was Killian's friendship that kept her sane most nights, though more often her late nights consisted of dreams of him in much more than friendly ways.

"Anyone else?" Emma asked.

"I was in Arendelle and I probably fell asleep before eleven." Elsa said. She actually had turned in earlier than that. Her sister and Kristoff were still newlyweds and so wrapped up in each other. Elsa loved them both, but she was envious. They had such a loving relationship and Elsa found herself wanting that more and more, but she was afraid. Who could ever love her with her powers? So she had gone back to hiding away in her room, keeping to herself and locking her emotions away. Truthfully, she was relieved to be back in Storybrooke and away from them. "Then I woke up here, but I don't remember anything strange before that."

"David and I put Sam to bed about eight." Snow told the others. "We must've gone to bed around nine." They had gone to bed exhausted, and it hadn't at all taken long for them to fall asleep. Now David and Sam were gone. Her heart ached at the thought of anything happening to them. Sammy was only a year old; he was her baby and he was missing. What happened? Where could everyone have disappeared to? Was Sammy okay? Surely he had to be with David, right? Please let him be with his father. Snow thought. David would never let anything happen to Sam. Snow wished that they were still here.

"That was the same for Phillip and I." Aurora said. She wasn't going to tell them that she and Phillip had gone to bed so early, not from being tired parents, but to avoid fighting. Ever since they were brought over to Storybrooke, things had changed between them. Aurora missed home and wanted to go back, but Phillip loved the new realm and all that it had to offer. Aurora wanted Phillip Junior to have the life he deserved; the life of a prince, heir to the throne; a life full of the best education and parents who loved him very much. Without P.J. here, what was she even to do with herself? Where was her baby? Was he with Phillip? What if they were in danger? What if she never saw them again? Tears began in her eyes, though she tried to hold them back.

Marian spoke next. "Roland was in bed by nine, and Robin turned in about ten. I couldn't really sleep so I stayed up until midnight." While it was known that Robin and Marian had marital troubles, Marian didn't want to outright confirm that she and Robin had been sleeping in separate bedrooms for months. Her eyes flicked over to Killian, relieved that he was still here. Was it terrible that she had been more worried about him than Robin? Though she was most concerned over Roland. She had already missed out on so much of Roland's life, and they were just now settling into a new normal. Roland was such a sweet and innocent child; Marian's heart squeezed at the thought of him being somewhere out there without her. If Robin was with him, if she knew that Robin was with him, then perhaps her worry could be allayed. However, she doubt she'd feel whole again until Roland was in her arms.

A slightly ashamed look crossed Regina's face, but only Killian noticed it. "I was up until about one." Regina said. It wouldn't do well to tell them that she'd been up until one, because Robin had snuck over and they were having sex late into the night. Robin made it clear that until he could figure out how to leave Marian without causing Marian and Roland heartache, that his and Regina's affair was to be kept secret. Even so, Regina worried about Roland too. The sweet little boy reminded her a lot of Henry when he was younger. Regina had hoped to have a second chance at motherhood with Roland; until Marian returned and that hope was dashed. Henry had grown distant, never coming over that much, living with his other parents, but Regina hoped that he was all right. He was a smart and resourceful kid, but he was still just a kid. He could still be in danger wherever he was; they needed to figure out what happened so that they could be reunited with their loved ones and stop whoever was behind all of this.

"That was when I retired as well." Guinevere said. She didn't want to tell them that her marriage to Arthur was crumbling. He wanted to go back to Camelot and rule, while she loved how Storybrooke meant that they were just like everyone else and she didn't feel isolated. More than that, she wanted children, but Arthur wasn't ready. He'd been pulling away from her long before Camelot had received the residents of Storybrooke, but since Camelot's destruction, it had been practically unbearable to be married to him.

"Aladdin and I were out at the Rabbit Hole." Jasmine said. "We got home around two in the morning. I think it was around three before I actually fell asleep." Aladdin had been quite drunk, which had embarrassed Jasmine a bit. They were still young and having fun, but sometimes it was too much fun. At least for her. She had put Aladdin to bed, before showering and getting into bed herself.

"What about you two?" Snow asked Emma and Killian.

"We were asleep before midnight." Emma said. "Henry was in bed by eleven. Then this morning…" She glanced at Killian, who gave her an encouraging nod. "This morning I woke up, and I had a feeling that something was wrong, but I brushed it off." Emma swallowed thickly. Henry was gone and she had no idea where he was or what happened. She knew that Henry could take care of himself, but he couldn't go up against a villain. What if he was hurt? What if this villain did something to Henry? She couldn't stand the idea that Henry was alone, forced to survive on his own. Her only hope was that everyone who disappeared were all together. That would at least mean that Henry was with her dad, and David would make sure that Henry and Sam were safe.

"When did you wake up?" Regina asked.

"About six thirty." Emma said.

"When did everyone else wake up?" Regina asked the room.

Most of them said seven or after.

"What are you thinking, Regina?" Snow asked.

"I'm thinking that sometime between three and six thirty this morning, something happened to make everyone disappear." Regina told them. "Actually, I think that something magical happened, and that whatever event occurred, that's what Emma felt this morning."

"What do you mean?" Ariel sounded as confused as the others looked.

"Emma has very powerful magic." Regina said. "I think powerful enough that if a magical event occurs, she can sense it. That's what that bad feeling was this morning. You brushed it off, because you'd never felt anything like it before that you were aware of."

"So you're saying that everyone was still here until six thirty?" Aurora spoke up. "Then what happened to them?"

"Another villain probably." Belle said. "Someone must've cast a spell or a curse. Who it was, well, we need to figure that out."

"But if it was a curse, then how are we still here?" Jasmine asked. "Wouldn't we be with everyone else?"

"We don't know if it was a curse though." Guinevere said. "It could've been anything."

"Well, we're not going to find out anything standing here." Emma said. "Are we sure that we're the only people left in town?"

"No." Snow said. "I mean we haven't seen anyone else, but there could be others wandering around."

"If people are still here, they'd likely go to the station." Killian said.

"They would." Emma agreed. "Okay, here's what we can do. Belle and Regina, go to the library and start research. We need to figure out what happened. Mom and Marian, search the woods and close to the town line. If Elsa came over, we don't know who else did or where they showed up. Ariel and Killian go search the docks and the neighborhoods around there. I'll drive around in the patrol car and I'll take Elsa with me. Aurora, go to the station and wait there in case people come by, and call me or Killian or Snow if anyone comes in. Jasmine, Guin, if you guys could, go to the neighborhoods and knock on doors, see if others are at home, but haven't realized that anything has happened yet. When everyone is done with the search, get to the library."

Everyone agreed to the plan and started splitting up.

Killian stopped Emma before she headed to the station with Elsa, as he and Ariel would have to walk the opposite direction. "Are you all right, love?"

Emma nodded. "I'm fine. Worried about Henry and everyone else though. What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out." He pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "Henry's strong and smart, Emma. Wherever he is, he's okay. Perhaps he's even with David, and you know your father will protect him."

"I know." Emma hoped that he was right. "I'll see you later." She gave him a chaste kiss before heading to where Elsa was waiting.

Killian watched her go, noticing her placing her hand on her stomach, his worry for her and both of their sons increasing. He turned to Ariel, who was looking sympathetic. "Let's get started then."

"Congratulations." Elsa spoke up suddenly.

She and Emma had been driving around town all morning, making a few stops, searching for any signs of life. So far they had only come across the others who were searching. Soon enough, they'd probably have to call it quits and head to the library.

"What?" Emma had been lost in her thoughts, thinking about those who were missing. Specifically her son, father, and baby brother.

"You and Killian." Elsa smiled knowingly. "It must be exciting expecting the little one."

"It's definitely a new experience." Emma said. "The last time I was pregnant, it was with Henry, and his father had framed me for a crime and I gave birth to Henry alone and in jail."

Elsa felt anger at a man she had never met and empathy for Emma's plight.

"Now, I have Killian and we're both excited and nervous." Emma continued. "I think he's worried too. He tries not to show it, but he's been more protective since I told him I was pregnant."

"He's always been protective." Elsa said. "I'm sorry I missed the wedding too."

"It all happened fast." Emma shrugged. "We did try to contact you, but I guess you never got our message?"

Elsa shook her head. "When did it happen?"

"Well, really fast." Emma chuckled. "We moved into a house about nine or ten months ago, then I proposed to him back in March. We've only been married since May, but we found out about the baby in April."

"That is fast." Elsa smiled. Though she was hiding her disappointment. When she had first seen Emma in the diner, she hadn't noticed the rings or the slight curve to Emma's stomach. Don't get her wrong, she was ecstatic that Emma and Killian were married and having a baby, but Elsa couldn't help but feel a bit abandoned. It was just like with Anna and Kristoff; Elsa was still alone. She had been hoping to be able to talk with Emma about it, but then she noticed the rings and the baby. "At least you and Killian are happy."

"Very happy." Emma had a soft expression on her face as she thought about her husband. "It's a boy."

"How can you tell?" Elsa asked.

"In this realm, there is a machine that can show you the inside of your body." Emma said. "Well, not really, it's more like it shows a black and white image, and you can see the shape of the baby. The doctors can usually tell the sex of the baby after some time. Killian and I found out last week."

"Incredible." Elsa was shocked that such a thing existed and wondered how strange it must be to see the inside of your own body.

Emma sighed after looking around. "We should head to the library. I doubt we'll find anyone else." She turned the patrol car around and headed back towards Main Street.

Elsa looked out of the window as they drove in silence.

It was dark out as everyone gathered at the tables in the library, pouring over books. Not a single search had turned up anyone else, so as far as they knew, the eleven of them were all that was left of Storybrooke.

The only breaks came at times when volunteers went to Granny's to get food.

Killian watched the women, sensing their anxiety. The mothers were especially worried about their missing children. Everyone was trying their best to hide it though.

Aurora easily had the worst poker face, and had even gone up to Belle's apartment to cry. She had tried to hide it, but her eyes were red and puffy. Clearly, she wasn't coping well to the fact that her son and husband were missing. P.J. was the youngest of the missing children too, being only a few months younger than Sam. He would be fully reliant on whoever had him. Though it was obvious how distraught Aurora was, no one commented on it, either to help her save face or out of fear of breaking the poor woman further.

Marian had thrown herself into research, but Killian could tell that it was a distraction from her thoughts. She had barely spoken to anyone, likely to keep focused so that she wouldn't think about Roland and wherever he was, but it was clear that no matter how hard she tried, Roland was constantly on her mind. Though she had looked up at him once or twice when he was watching and gave him a strained smile. Her attempts at remaining strong were admirable. Roland was very young, and still needed his mother. It was already criminal that Marian and Roland had been separated before already. The separation was certainly weighing on her though.

Killian could tell, because he and Emma were both thinking about Henry. While Emma had taken charge and assigned tasks, being the leader was her way to keep everyone in line and to keep herself from breaking down over Henry. He knew that his wife was terrified for Henry; just as he was. He might not be Henry's biological father, but he had come to love the boy as his own, and Henry had even recently started calling him "Dad" instead of "Killian," and that had meant so much to Killian. He was their son and he was taken from their home, right under their noses. That didn't sit well with Killian and he knew that it was eating at Emma. They were Henry's parents; they were supposed to protect their kids, but now they failed Henry. Killian hated feeling so helpless.

Regina seemed antsy more than anything. Impulsive and impatient as always, her worry was being channeled into snapping at everyone and making sarcastic comments whenever someone spoke. It was only Emma's warnings and glares, as well as Snow's, that kept Regina in line. It was still understandable though. Henry was her son too, though he had been distancing himself from Regina.

Neither Killian nor Emma told her why as it was for Henry to share, but it did make Killian feel better that Regina was genuinely worried about Henry.

Snow's way to distract herself was mothering everyone. Making sure that everyone was okay, that everyone had what they needed, and heading the charge of the food volunteers. Without Sam here to care for, Snow was desperate to care for someone to keep from a complete freakout over her missing family members. It wasn't the first time that this happened to Snow. In fact, it seemed that the Charming family was very much cursed to have their family separated over and over again. First, Emma with the curse, then Snow and Emma ended up in the Enchanted Forest separated from David and Henry, and now this. It must've been so hard for Snow to live through her family being split up again.

Oh yes, the mothers of the group were anxious and close to losing it.

The other women were just as worried, but they didn't have the added pain of losing their children, so their spirits were a little more at ease.

Belle was in full on research mode, all business, spouting theories and furiously making notes. Bouncing ideas off of others, but mostly directed at him since they usually partnered up with the research whenever a villain came to town. Killian wondered how she was feeling lately. She hadn't dated anyone since Rumple's death, and Killian knew how hard it was to get over the loss of a first love. It must've especially been worse for Belle considering that Rumple had tried to kill them all. Though she had been awkward around him as of late and he wondered about that. However, any emotion was clearly shoved away as she threw herself into her task.

Ariel seemed to struggle with her research. Killian watched her spacing out often, worrying her lip. Likely thinking about Eric and worried about what had happened to him. Most often he would find her staring at him with a trance-like look that would only be broken when he met her eyes, then she would look away and her cheeks would redden.

Guinevere seemed to be the calmest among them, and Killian couldn't help but think she seemed relieved. It wasn't a secret that she and Arthur weren't getting on, but no one had ever said anything to her, letting her save face. But she looked more relieved that Arthur wasn't here. She had even shot a few small smiles Killian's way as if to say she was more than all right.

As for Jasmine, while it was clear that she worried over the missing, she was trying to be optimistic. Keeping everyone else's spirits up with hopeful words, trying to make people laugh. Killian thought it was admirable of her.

Elsa was harder to get a read on. The youngest of them seemed stoic, calmly going through books, taking neat notes, but keeping to herself, only speaking once in a while, mostly to Emma or Killian, sometimes to Snow, but mostly helping while staying out of everyone's way.

Killian glanced at the clock. It wasn't terribly late, but he could tell everyone was tired. He had no doubt, however, that if he brought up the subject of calling it quits for tonight, that there would be a slew of protests. They did need a break though. Maybe he could convince them to take an hour to recuperate. "We should take a break." He spoke up. "We'll burnout if we don't."

A few looked ready to protest, but Snow stood up and sighed. "You're right. We're too restless to turn in for the night, but if we're going to be pulling all nighters, we need a break." She looked over at Emma. "You need to go home though."

"I'm fine." Emma said.

"You're pregnant." Snow countered. "You need to rest. Let Killian take you home and we'll keep you both updated."

Emma was gearing up to argue.

"She's right." Belle spoke up. "It won't be good for you or the baby to stay up. Lack of sleep lowers your immune system and pregnancy already causes fatigue as it is." Not to mention, Killian leaving would be a good thing since he was distracting her, and a few others. It seemed that she wasn't the only one with a small crush on her married best friend.

Emma glanced around at the others, seeing no support for her to stay. She sighed. "Fine, we'll go home, but call us if something happens. No matter how late it is."

Killian stood and helped Emma up. They said their goodbyes and set out for home.

It was a quiet ride in the bug as Emma got lost in her thoughts and Killian in his. When they pulled up in front of their house and Emma cut the engine, neither moved to leave the car.

"Killian." Emma turned to look at him, her expression full of fear, her eyes watering. "Please tell me that he'll be okay."

Killian reached out and cupped her face. "He'll be fine, Swan. Henry will be fine."

Even though she knew that he couldn't know for sure, Emma took comfort in her husband's words.

"Come on, Swan." He spoke gently. "Let's get you to bed."

They got out of the car and walked up the path to their house, Killian's arm wrapped around Emma, holding her close. He had no idea what happened or where their son was, but they would get through this together. Just as they always did.

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