Disclaimer: Same as always.

A/N: Definitely didn't mean to go so long between updates! But this is back with that multi-chaptered story that I've mentioned in other notes. I tried something different with this one and I would say that a healthy suspension of disbelief might help. I don't write a lot of action or what have you, but wanted to give it a shot. For anyone who ever wondered if there might be more to Clara's nightmares, well, the short answer? Yes. The creatures featured in this were inspired by Celtic mythology.

Something strange and disturbing was happening in Storybrooke. For all of the other strange and disturbing things that had happened in this town, this was unlike any of the others. Oh, there were some similarities. Namely, that people were scared and getting hurt because of it. Like so many of the other times the town had been under siege by a faceless villain, the first step towards defeating said villain was identifying said villain.

From then it was a question of figuring how what they wanted, learning what they hoped to achieve and most importantly? How they could be vanquished. Heaven knew that this particular band of heroes had a vast arsenal of weapons to use against any kind of villain. But you can't defeat a villain until you know who the villain is.

There had been several meetings about issue over the past few weeks. This latest meeting was taking place at the home of Emma and Killian Jones. It was sometime after dinner. Catalina and Clara had been put to bed; along with Neal, because his parents were there; and everyone hoped that they would stay asleep. They were all hoping they could defeat this newest evil before it could impact the lives of their children.

They all feared that they would be too late. Their children had already noticed some of the things that were happening. The strange footprints coming out of the lake that certainly didn't belong to any human. Nor any animal they could name. The claw marks on the trees near the water. The strange sounds heard by the shoreline; they were sometimes described as a combination of an eerie growl and a hiss.

It'd all started a few weeks ago when Leroy had come to them saying that he'd seen a big, dark something he hadn't been able to identify. When pressed he said that it seemed like a weird cross between a beaver and a crocodile, but he hadn't been able to get close enough to tell for sure before the creature disappeared into the night.

Some days had passed and then Archie had found Emma, David and Killian and told them that he'd seen something similar while out walking Pongo one night. Pongo now refused to go near the water during their walks. They'd been approaching the lake when Pongo had stopped dead in his track, emitting a low growl that was so vicious that it chilled Archie to the bone. He'd never heard Pongo make a sound like that.

That was when Archie himself spotted the creature. It was creeping along the shoreline of the lake, its reptilian eyes fixed directly on Archie and Pongo. As if in warning. That's what Archie had said. It had been as if the creature was warning them not to come closer.

Archie's face had gone white at the memory. The creature didn't make any further move towards them, but its gaze never wandered. Archie had slowly backed away for a few steps before his fear got the better of him and he turned and ran, Pongo leading the way. They'd avoided the water ever since.

Now more reports were coming in. A few people had even gotten hurt. At first it seemed as if there was only one creature haunting the town, but now it seemed like there were several. There was one person who had come running into Granny's, eyes wide in pure terror, as they screamed about having just seen an entire pack of the beasts. Up until recently these reports had strictly come from people who'd been near the bodies of water; though never from the ocean. But now a couple had been spotted around town. Always at night.

It seemed as if almost everyone had seen these creatures. Everyone except for this exasperated group of heroes. They had deduced that the sudden appearance of all of these creatures was no coincidence. Someone had caused them to appear. But who? And why?

Earlier today, they had gotten their first big break. Or so they believed. Someone had finally gotten a clear picture of one of the beasts. Leroy's description had been pretty accurate. It really looked as if it were part beaver and part crocodile. It looked part demon as well. It had sent a chill running through each of them.

Killian had attempted to lighten the mood by suggesting that maybe it was one of Mr. Gold's relatives and this was some sort of family squabble. This had gotten mixed results. Though it had made all of them wonder if Mr. Gold was involved.

Things with Mr. Gold were...odd at the present. It seemed as if he had truly decided to stop terrorizing the town, but he'd been keeping his distance. As usual none of them knew where he really stood. Emma and David had gone to talk to him that afternoon. He had no answers, but he did say that he'd been looking into it. He'd offered to help, in a vague kind of way. One that didn't involve him attending any of their meetings.

Ultimately, Emma and David had decided to take him at his word. He truly didn't seem to know what these creatures were or where they might have come from. Whether he would actually be a help to them or not would remain to be seen. But then, that was usually the case with Mr. Gold.

In any event, the kitchen table at the Jones household was a full one. Full of people and pictures of the creature so they could all study it. In addition to Emma, Killian, Mary Margaret and David there was also Henry and Regina. Belle and Zelena had been there earlier, but Belle had decided to head back to the library to do more research and Zelena had gone with her.

They'd all been spouting theories and possible plans of attack against these creatures, but they were no closer to figuring out who was behind this. It was starting to get late and they were all getting tired. Mary Margaret was just about to suggest they call it a night and get back to it in the morning when they were interrupted.

"Mommy?"

Emma looked up at the sound of her youngest daughter's voice. Clara stood just outside of the kitchen in her pajamas. Her dark hair was mussed from sleep and she was hugging her beloved stuffed duck to her chest. When all of the adults turned to look at her, she seemed to curl into herself and her chin came to rest against Jolly.

"Clara? What's the matter, baby? We thought you were asleep," Emma said, getting up and walking to her daughter.

"I was, but." Clara's eyes flickered over to the rest of the adults at the table for a moment and then back to her mother. "I had to go pee and now I can't sleep."

"Can't sleep, huh? I think I know the cure for that. How about I make you some cocoa?" Emma asked. Mary Margaret and Regina made a hasty attempt to cover all the pictures before Clara could see them as Emma talked.

"Okay," Clara agreed.

"Okay," Emma smiled at her and then began collecting what she needed for the cocoa. Clara stayed where she was, a small smile appearing on her face in response to the one Mary Margaret gave her.

"Come here, little love," Killian said, reaching out his hand to his daughter. "Why do you suppose you can't sleep?" He brought his hand to her head when she came to him and attempted to restore some order to her hair.

"Bad dream, little duck?" David asked. He was sitting at the head of the table on Clara's other side.

"No, Grandpa, I..." Clara trailed off. Her face slowly went pale as her back stiffened, her eyes growing wide with alarm.

"Clara? Honey, what's wrong?" Mary Margaret asked, concerned. They watched as Clara pointed a shaking finger at one of the pictures of the creature that the women had missed.

Clara whirled around so that she was facing her father full on and gaped at him in what could only be described as utter betrayal. "You said they weren't real!"

"What?" Killian asked, stunned by the tone of accusation in his sweet daughter's voice.

"You said they weren't real!" she repeated, jabbing her small finger at the picture.

"Holy crap," Henry muttered from his spot at the table.

"Clara?" It was Emma who spoke, cocoa forgotten as she went back to her daughter. "What are you talking about, baby?" Though she had a sinking feeling that she already knew. A feeling that got worse when her daughter's panic filled eyes met her own.

"My monsters!" Clara exclaimed, her voice breaking.

"Your..." Emma gulped. Her sinking feeling had apparently been right. She closed her eyes for a moment before asking a question that she didn't want to ask, but she didn't have a choice. She needed to ask it. "Honey, are you telling us that these are the monsters from your dreams?"

"Yes!" Clara confirmed. She turned back to glare at Killian. "You said they weren't real." This time when she said it, the words were laced with tears. "You lied!"

"Clara, darling, I didn't know..." Killian practically pleaded. His little girl looked devastated, angry and hurt all at the same time. As if he had completely let her down and she'd lost all her faith in him because of it. It broke his heart. Now she was backing away from him. "Clara..."

"You lied," she whispered before suddenly turning on her heels and running for the stairs.

"Clara!" Killian called, but she ignored him. She hurried up the stairs back to her bedroom. "Bloody hell," he mumbled, wincing as they heard her bedroom door slam shut.

"Her monsters are real," Emma breathed, horror-stricken.

"Holy crap," Henry repeated.

"I better go up and talk to her," Emma said, glancing towards the stairs.

"No, love," Killian shook his head as he got to his feet. "It should be me. I'm the one she's mad at."

Clara flung herself on her bed upon entering her room. She clung onto Jolly as she began to sob. In her heart of hearts, she'd always known that her monsters were real. That her dreams weren't just dreams and never had been. They were a sign of things to come.

Oh, but she'd so wanted to believe her parents when they said they were just nightmares. Wanted to believe Daddy when he said that her monsters weren't real. But her monsters were real and she knew it was only a matter of time before they came after her.

She froze at the sound of a thumping against her window. One thump, followed by another. She looked up and her eyes widened in fear as she found herself looking at one of her monsters. It's eyes were dark and almost seemed to be glowing as it slammed into her window. For a moment her fear paralyzed her; she couldn't move.

And then the window broke and she screamed. The scream seemed to jolt her limbs back awake. She tumbled off her bed in her haste to get off of it. Eyes wide, she scuttled backwards on her hands and feet like a scared little crab as she watched the beast swoop towards her.

She'd been right. It had only been a matter of time before her monsters came from her.

Unfortunately, that time had come.

Killian was almost at the top of the stairs when he heard the sound of breaking glass, immediately followed by a scream. He hurried the rest of the way to Clara's room and flung the door open, nearly having a heart attack at the sight that greeted him.

It was that of his little girl being hauled out of her window by one of the horrific monsters from the pictures. From Clara's nightmares. If Killian had to guess, he'd say that it was about five feet long. Not the biggest monster he'd ever faced, but there was something distinctively demonic about it that made his hair stand on end.

"Daddy!" she screamed as he raced to her window.

"Give me back my daughter, you loathsome demon!" Killian snarled, his blood boiling with anger and fear as he made a wild grab for Clara. Missing her by mere inches.

"Daddy!" Clara shrieked as the creature slowly began to fly away. "Daddy, help!"

"Clara!" he shouted. "Clara!"

"Was that a scream?" Mary Margaret asked, a frown on her face. Emma moved towards the stairs as Killian came rushing down them. Looking every bit the vengeful pirate he'd once been.

"Killian? What was that?" She asked, alarmed as he hurried to grab his sword. "What's going on?"

"Clara's gone," he growled. "One of her monsters took her. I'm going after her!"

"Killian, wait!" Emma hurried after him as he stalked over to their front door. "What do you mean one of her monsters took her?"

"What the bloody hell do you think I mean?" He snapped as he yanked their front door open. "One of those damn creatures broke through her window and took her! And now I'm going to find her."

"Let me get my sword. I'll go with you," Emma decided, quickly.

"No, Swan," he shook his head, his eyes growing wide. "You won't."

"What the hell do you mean I won't?" she demanded.

"Look." He pointed up at the sky, hearing her gasp a second later.

"Oh my God," she breathed.

There, flying towards their house was a group of Clara's monsters. "Stay here and defend the house," Killian ordered. "Keep Catalina safe."

"But how do you plan on finding Clara?" She asked, clearly torn on what she should do.

"Don't worry about that. I'll find her," he said with a nod. He didn't give her a chance to argue, just took off running in the direction that he'd watched the demon head with his daughter. Somewhere in the back of his mind it occurred to him that he had no way to drag the creature from the sky. He didn't exactly have a plan in place for rescuing her, but how could he not chase after them?

"Killian!" Emma cried, but it was no use.

"Emma?" It was David. "What the...holy..." He had just spotted the pack of monsters heading towards them.

"Yeah." She turned to her father with wild eyes. "A monster took Clara and now a swarm of them are heading right for us. Killian told me to take care of it." David studied her for a moment; she was obviously struggling not to panic.

"Where'd he go?" he asked.

"That way," she pointed, making him nod.

"Right. I'll go after Killian and we'll find Clara and bring her home," David vowed. "You deal with them!" He gestured towards the monsters and at Emma's somewhat jerky nod, turned and took off in the direction Killian had gone.

It would occur to them all later that one of the magic users - if not Emma, than Regina - should have gone with David. Maybe things would have ended up differently if they had. But then again, it's not always easy to think logically during an unexpected attack. Decisions had to be made and, for better or worse, they had made them. They'd have to live with the consequences of those decisions later.

For now, they had some monsters to destroy.

Killian had never been more grateful for the sound of his daughter's screams. It was a terrible thought; he knew it the moment he thought it. If it were up to him, Clara would never have a reason to scream at all. He couldn't bear hearing sounds of such horror coming from his daughter.

But on this night, he found himself grateful. He'd heard her scream as he ran and now they were allowing him to track her. He'd gotten a glimpse of them, but they'd soon disappeared from view. But he could still hear her. Curiously enough, the creature seemed to be moving relatively slowly. Almost as if it wasn't used to carrying that much weight. This suited Killian just fine.

Sooner or later, the monster would be forced to land and then? Then it would be able to be killed. Killian had exactly two goals for this evening. First and foremost, to rescue his little girl. And then? Then he would kill this beast.

He usually preferred not to think about his time as a Dark One, but right now at this moment? He'd give just about anything to have those powers back. It would make saving Clara that much easier. He could just wave his hand and his daughter would be safe in his arms, the demon dead.

But no. He would have to do this the old fashioned way. He would save his daughter; that was the only acceptable option here. He couldn't allow himself to consider any others. He was not losing his precious Clara. Not tonight.

Not ever.

Clara's monster began to fly lower and lower as it approached the big lake. Killian's assumption had been correct: the beast was not accustomed to hauling much weight. Wasn't accustomed to hauling much of anything, but the enchantment that had been placed on it had given it just enough power to be able to do so.

"Oof!" Clara grunted as she was unceremoniously dropped onto the shoreline. It was one of her nightmares come to life and she had never been more afraid. As terrifying as her dreams were, they didn't hold a candle to the reality.

She made a desperate attempt to get away from the monster, who had landed beside her. Its wings disappearing the moment its claws touched the ground; the spell it had been under fading away. "Daddy!" She screamed again. She would not stop screaming. She would scream until she couldn't anymore.

A fresh scream tore out of her throat as she felt something wrap around her ankle and begin to pull her towards the water. It'd been raining the past couple of nights and the shoreline was wet and muddy. She dug her hands into the mud as she had so many times in her nightmares and tried to wriggle her way lose, but it was no use. "Daddy!"

"Daddy!" Killian picked up his speed as he neared the lake. He'd suspected that this was where the monster was taking Clara and the proximity of her scream confirmed it. He came to the shoreline, his heart seeming to stop in his chest at the sight of his little girl slowly being dragged into the water.

Killian raced towards his daughter and the beast, a roar ripping out of his throat like a battle cry. It got the creature's attention and the beast released his grip on Clara's ankle only to creep over her as if claiming her as its own. The growl it emitted only serving to anger Killian farther. He didn't think he had ever been so furious or so scared. The monster continued to slink forward, its movements serving to slide Clara farther into the water.

Killian slowed, eyes locked on the demon's as his mind raced with thoughts of how to pull the monster away from his daughter without hurting her in the process. He feinted to the right of the creature and then burst forward to its left when it followed his movements, drawing his sword back and driving it into the side of the beast.

The hiss that escaped from the monster sounded otherworldly, but Killian didn't give it much more thought as he dropped down and seized it. Pure adrenaline coursed through his veins as he wrenched the vile monster away from Clara. On his side with his right arm now pinned underneath the monster, Killian punched his hook into its other side and then did it again. Yanking his arm free, he practically jumped back to his feet before skewering the creature with his sword.

He ripped it out and drove it in once more for good measure. Finally satisfied that he has successfully slain the demon, he whipped back around at the sound of a strangled cry for help. He caught a glimpse of two small arms briefly waving frantically before disappearing and wasted no time tossing his bloodied sword on the shoreline before diving in and swimming over to her. He came up behind her and slid his arms under hers, pulling her against his chest.

He swam them back to the shore and dragged her onto the muddy shoreline. She thankfully hadn't yet lost consciousness, so he quickly turned her on her side as she began to cough to ensure that all of the water she'd swallowed came out. "It's okay, darling. It's okay." At this point, Killian had to force himself to take a few deep breaths. "Clara?" He said as she finally stopped coughing.

"Daddy?" She slowly rolled onto her back to look up at him.

"Aye, love." Killian's voice broke as he drank in the sight of his daughter's face. "I'm here. Easy now," he cautioned as she started to sit up. "Take it slowly."

Clara ignored his advice as she scrambled up onto her feet. "Daddy!" She flung her arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

"Clara," he breathed, holding her close. "I've got you, darling. Daddy's got you."

"You saved me!" she cried.

"Of course I did," Killian murmured. "Did you really think I'd let a monster take you away from me? Never. I'll always be here when you need me, lass." He eased her back and placed a series of quick kisses on her forehead and cheeks. "Are you alright?" He looked her over, frantically. He could see some scrapes on her upper arms and her ankle where the creature had grabbed her, but she seemed miraculously unharmed all things considered.

Oh, he would certainly be rushing her home to Emma so she could work her magic and heal her wounds. Or maybe it'd be better just to take her to the hospital instead. He had no doubt in his mind that a battle had broken out at his house once the monsters reached it. It was obvious that that's where they'd been headed. He trusted Emma and the others to take care of it, but he didn't want to take Clara back to a battle ground.

So the hospital it would be. That said, none of her physical injuries seemed terribly serious and that was a humongous relief. At the moment, he was more concerned with her mental state.

Adrenaline had no doubt been coursing through her small body as well, but her recovery from her near drowning had seemed to briefly push the panic aside. Now he watched as the full realization that one of her nightmares had literally come true washed over her.

Killian quickly pulled her close again as she fell apart. She clung onto him with a fierceness that surprised him. Not that he minded. As far as he was concerned, she could hold onto him as tightly as she wished. She buried her face in the juncture between his neck and shoulder and began to sob.

"That's it, sweetheart. Let it out. It's alright." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Daddy's got you. You're safe now. You're safe." He repeated it a few more times and was unsure if he was doing it more for her benefit or his own. "Daddy's got you."

His little girl was safe. She was terrified and panicking, to be certain, and who could blame the lass? But she was alive. She was in his arms and she was alive. He cradled her head against his shoulder and kept whispering the words as if in prayer. "You're safe. I've got you. You're safe."

"D-don't l-let g-go," she whimpered through her tears.

"Don't you worry about that, my darling," he promised. "I'm not going anywhere. Daddy's right here." He held her for some time, rocking her gently, before it dawned on him that he should probably get her off of the muddy shoreline. He managed to get to his feet, still holding her in his arms, when he heard a shout.

"Killian!" It was David. Somewhere in his pursuit of Killian and the monster, it had occurred to him to check the big lake. He was relieved to see that his instincts had been right. He hurried over to them. "You found her! Thank God!"

"I found her," Killian nodded, as if to remind himself as well.

"Hey there, little duck," David said gently, putting his hand on his granddaughter's back and giving her a small smile as she turned her head just enough to peek out at him over her father's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Grandpa!" She didn't answer the question, but seemed slightly more comforted by his presence.

"I was just thinking that I needed to take our sweet girl to the hospital to be looked at," Killian told him, turning away from the water as he spoke.

David opened his mouth to respond when a soft growl caught his attention. "What was that?"

He heard Killian draw a sharp breath. "Bloody hell."

"What?" David asked, watching as Killian very slowly raised his hand and pointed to a spot in the grass.

"Looks like we have some company, mate," Killian said, bleakly. There on the grass was not one, but two of the vile creatures. As they watched, two more creeped out of the shadows.

"Huh," David muttered, somewhat aghast. Seeing pictures of the beasts had been bad enough, but seeing them in person and up close was so much worse. "Looks like we do." His hand went to the hilt of his sword.

"Daddy!" Clara gasped, suddenly. "My monsters!" Killian glanced at David warily before turning around to face the water again.

"Bloody hell," Killian repeated, this time with more vehemence. There were at least five of the creatures coming out of the water. David shifted so that he was blocking Clara's body with his own.

"Okay, this complicates things a bit," David acknowledged.

"Aye, it does." Killian agreed, carefully. "Now what?"