Graham's eyes fluttered opened when there was a particularly loud scream of thunder and for a moment he had no idea what was happening or where he was, his head hurt, his eyes ached and there was water in face. It took the guard a moment but his eyes flew wide open when he realized he was hanging upside down tied to a heavy mass above the river a short distance behind The House Of Scarlet. His skin had turned to ice thanks to the harsh rain, it dripped up his body and collected on the tip his nose before falling into the river only a foot or so beneath his head. Upside down, he was hanging upside down.

Everything was black and blurred in the inky night, he couldn't move and Graham's whole body cried out in pain; something – or more likely someone – had struck him from behind. He forced the pain down and Graham hissed when he remembered the burning he'd felt in his back, a taser, but that means... his mind filled with panic, not for the rising river and his own life but for the girls and Gold.

"Help!" He screamed out into the darkness but no one could hear him over the thunderstorm. "Help!" Graham called again.

The Irishman wriggled in the mass of ropes trying to get free but it was no use, the bonds were much too tight and all his blood had rushed to his head leaving him weak and light-headed. The heavy mass tied to his back groaned suddenly roused by Graham's urgent movements and he recognised it as Robin, his friend and fellow guard, the same thing must have happened to him. At least he was alive … for now.

"Robin?" There was no response and truth be told Graham had no way of knowing how badly injured his friend had been, all he could do was shout his name. "Robin wake up! Robin!"

As the storm grew the river they'd been suspended above began to rise towards them like a tease, if someone didn't find them soon they'd freeze to death before drowning. This was not how Graham would go out!

"Robin!" He tried again but his friend didn't wake, his only response was another groan.

Graham looked up towards the house as best he could, craned his neck as best he could in his bonds to peer through the dark. Past the trees he could just about see the pool glowing with supernatural light. Just as the Irishman was about to call out for help once more the patio doors roughly 100 yards away - without black rain clouds and harsh winds they'd have been easily heard – opened wide letting one of the girls run naked into the pool; Cruella judging by the hair, only Cruella had hair like that. She dove into the pool and stayed under for a short time as though she'd been boiling. Cruella naked in a pool wasn't what worried him though, he'd seen that before after all, it was the man who followed. Graham could only watch as a tall man in some kind of navy maintenance suit and a god awful mask calmly walked to the edge of the pool.

Graham tried screaming again and thrashed in his bonds but he went unheard yet again, he fought against the rope as he desperately tried to get free and help Cruella but he was just too weak, hands were numb and his voice croaked, blood raged around his body vibrating in his ears. Bu-bum! Bu-bum! Bu-bum! Louder and louder. Deep down Graham knew there was nothing he could do to help Cruella as Clown Mask forced her head under the water like his own would soon be, none of that stopped Graham thrashing and struggling against the hard rope that held him in place.

"Help!" Graham screamed once more, louder this time but only a little, and the attacker looked over while standing.

Graham fell silence, he couldn't see the man's face beneath his mask but he still knew the man was grinning at the death he'd just caused, the Irishman could just see Cruella's lifeless body as it floated along the choppy pool. Clown Mask gazed over at Graham and a still unconscious Robin through the trees then, calmly, turned back towards the house and walked inside like he hadn't just murdered an innocent woman.

The brunette didn't know if it was the waterfall of rain or tears which poured up to his forehead any longer and he didn't have the strength to care, he jostled again in an attempt to wake Robin fully but the other guard showed no sign of waking. Graham was alone in this.

Suddenly something caught his hazel eyes, movement in one of the upper windows, the one by the back stairs, it took him a second until Graham realized it looked suspiciously Belle shaped. Belle wasn't meant to be in the house but if she and Elias had come home then the others may have stood a chance, Gold could get to his panic room where they would all be safe. All Graham had in that moment was prayer.

That had been an hour ago and Graham kept drifting in and out of consciousness as blood began to swell in his brain, his vision had blurred so much that he felt as though he were looking through dirty water. Just as Graham felt himself drifting into sleep once more Robin let out a deep, guttural moan.

"Graham?"

"Robin? You awake?" That was probably a stupid question, of course Robin was awake.

In all honesty Graham was just thankful he could still speak what with his throat raw from calling out through the rain.

"What happened?" Robin managed to ask over the storm.

"I don't know. There's someone in the house, they killed Cruella!"

Robin's head fell to see the river that was now only a few inches below them, it was only then that the other guard realized just how much danger they were all in. When Graham had awoken the river had been significantly lower but now as Robin gazed at the surging water it was only a few inches from them, Nottingham had expected the water to rise faster and it would have had the river not burst its bank, the water could rise no higher and they were safe from drowning. However, Graham knew if they remained upside down they'd form blood clots; that was the least of their concerns though what with hypothermia becoming a very real possibility and a mad man in a fifties style clown mask.

"How do we get out of this, Humbert?" Robin demanded, he refused to be scared.

"Can you get your knots loose?"

"No, I don't think so." Robin responded as he attempted to struggle.

"Well try!" Graham growled without meaning to, his accent had grown thick. "If Will isn't tied up with us then he's dead, Cruella is dead. Everyone else could be dead!"

"Okay! Calm down, we have to work together because I'm getting really dizzy."

Robin was right, they had to rely on each other to get free. Graham twisted at the ropes keeping his hands behind his back while Robin did the same, together they may just stand a chance.

~X~

"Come on Baby, you're going to be fine."

Victor hadn't ever felt so scared in all his life and everything word which hastily tumbled from his lips was more to comfort himself than Jefferson. The wound wasn't overly deep and hadn't cut through anything life threatening but the muscle was still shredded and if it remained untreated for too long he'd bleed to death.

"Vic-" Jefferson tried to speak but pain cut him off.

"No, don't talk Jefferson. Look at me but don't speak."

The blonde doctor worked desperately with shaking hands to stitch together the horribly damaged flesh and tissue of the man he loved with hardly anything to aid him. His days as a surgeon had stuck with him, he knew what to do but this wasn't some patient, this was his husband. Bile rose up in his throat at the sight of Jefferson's blood staining his hands but Doctor Whale forced it back down, he wouldn't let panic preventing from helping the dark-haired man. Crimson oozed down Jefferson's neck staining his shirt, chest and everything else in sight but it was no longer the fountain it had been before Victor raced into action.

"I lo-" Jefferson winced as tears started to burst forth a new. "love you."

Victor's blue orbs locked with those of the man he loved.

"I love you too."

Suddenly the house echoed violently and for a second Victor thought it was another boom of thunder but no, it was a gun shot.

Are there any of us left?