Happy New Year, readers! And thank you, from the bottom of my heart (really!) for sticking with me this year and reading the stuff I put out there. I started writing fanfiction just over a year ago (my first fic was Eight Nights at Sea - which is now a novel - can you believe it?) and from there I went on to "It Is What It Isn't." Shortly after that, I embarked on the epic that became The Memory Keeper series, and it's been rolling on from there. If I had to highlight my year in fanfiction, finishing that series, and writing "These Dreams" would be my two crowning achievements. "Adrift" gave me a chance to get a lot darker than I'd ever gone before - I'm not sure I could go that dark again, but it was a great exercise and I think it came out well in the end.

As always, I am so grateful to all of you for inspiring me, innovating me, and forcing me to make what I write worthy of each and every one of you. Thank you again, for all you do for me!

Now, as I recall, we have a heroine with an arrow in her chest, right? We really ought to get back to that, shouldn't we?

Nah. Let's see what Rumple's doing.

Rumplestiltskin paced the room carefully, his lips moving soundlessly as he counted off the steps. He stopped in front of one of the panels in the wall, then he reached his hand out and pressed lightly. The panel slid open, revealing the shelves behind. He carefully chose a crystal vial, picking it up and holding it to the light before pocketing it. He added to that a small pouch, which he tied to his belt, a handful of crystals, and finally, he grabbed a small, stoppered bottle before closing the panel.

It only took a moment before he'd found what he was looking for in the neighboring china cabinet. He pulled out the chipped cup and saucer, setting it delicately on the table with a satisfied sigh. Once he'd regained his memories in Storybrooke, he'd gone to Charming's shop, hoping to find this very item, but with no success. And now here it was, and he could use it not only to find Belle, but to return her to herself, as well. God only knew where she was, or who she'd become. He winced a bit, remembering her as Lacey. She'd been exciting, even intriguing as her alter-ego, but not nearly as satisfying as the Belle he'd come to love.

Rumple poured the potion into the cup, watching it glow with a dull, blue light.

###

"You...were my betrothed?" Robin stared at Regina, open-mouthed and unable to shut his jaws for some reason.

She arched a brow. "Your father didn't tell you?"

Robin shook his head to clear it. "No, no...he told me, of course. I knew I had a betrothed. I just didn't know who yet. I'd gotten his missive when I was away on a trade journey - I was actually on my way back home when everything got blown apart."

"So you know nothing about me," Regina stated.

"I know everything about you." The words came out before Robin could stop them, and he scrambled to recover. "I mean...I've heard so much about you. I just never realized before that there was a chance you could be mine."

He stared at Regina in a very unnerving way, and she cleared her throat, breaking the spell. "Yes, well...my father thinks that an alliance would be best for both the kingdoms, and as I'm not holding any silly, romantic notions about true love or happily ever afters, I can agree to it. There is one condition, of course."

"Roland." Robin smiled at her, and she found herself mesmerized by the way his eyes crinkled when he did so. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Yes," she said firmly. "Roland was left at the castle gates as a newborn. I've raised him as my own ever since, and I fully intend for him to inherit my kingdom - once I get it back. I don't know his parentage, and I couldn't care less about it. He's my son. If you can't agree to that, we have no deal."

He looked at her in an appraising way. "I can agree to that. He's a fine boy, Regina."

"Thank you." She gave him a grateful nod.

"There's only one thing that I can't agree to, and unfortunately, for me, at least - it's a major point."

"Go on," she said warily.

He stepped in closer. "Happily ever after. I think it does exist. And what's more, I think I want you to think that, too."

Regina suddenly found it hard to breathe as his eyes slid down to her lips, then back up to meet hers. The brightness in them held her mesmerized, until she forced herself to back up a few paces.

"This is a business arrangement," she said, a bit shakily. "I'll honor my end of that, but don't expect hearts and flowers and circling songbirds."

"And what of my future heirs?" he asked, and she could swear he was biting back a smile.

"You'll have them. Eventually."

Robin reached out, taking her hand and pulling her in slowly. "Then the deal is sealed. And I'll just have to work on the rest." He kissed her softly, his lips lingering on hers before she pulled away.

"I need to see to some things. If you'll excuse me?" She gave him a tight smile and then she turned and fled the room, walking quickly, her heart beating entirely too loudly in her chest.

And she could swear her lips burned where his lips had touched them.

###

"Emma!"

Killian's tortured voice carried through the haze of pain and the agony in it made her want to answer him, but breathing seemed overwhelmingly difficult, almost to the point of impossible. She could hear the short, gasping pants she was making, but it felt as though she was starved for oxygen. Her vision was blurring, and the pain was excruciating, piercing, eating through her.

Her mind vaguely registered the sounds of clanging swords and shouts, the thud of bodies hitting the ground, arrows whizzing by. Everything had closed and condensed to the pull of air, reedy and feeble, into her lungs, the spreading pain, the numbness setting into her limbs.

She must've blacked out for a moment, because she suddenly realized she couldn't hear the swords or arrows anymore, and she let out a groan as she was lifted gently, oh-so-gently. She knew Killian was holding her, but couldn't feel his arms so much around her. He was shouting, insistent, his lips near her face, not giving her any peace.

"Emma!"

She finally registered his arms, as they closed with greater force around her, and the feel of his hand on her chest, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

"Leroy! Clip it off - just there - we need to pull in through!"

Emma groaned again as he rolled her forward, then back again.

"Emma! Emma - stay with me, love. Stay with me." His voice was a litany, repeating over and over. She felt his hand smacking at her face lightly, his voice demanding that she open her eyes.

"Come on, Swan! Don't you give up on me now! Emma!"

She managed to open her eyes, and with a lot of effort, focused on his face. Her breathing was getting thinner now, and a gurgling sound accompanied every breath.

"I'm going to pull this arrow out," he said, "And you're going to heal yourself. You can do this! Come on, Swan - concentrate! Listen to my voice!"

She managed a nod. Yes, she heard him. She couldn't not hear him - he was screaming in her face. He wanted...he wanted her to...what?

"I'm pulling it out now - this is going to hurt."

Emma's eyes rolled back as the pain, the searing, blinding pain nearly sent her over the edge into unconsciousness. She felt Killian smacking her face again, harder this time.

"Dammit! Swan!" Two more smacks, hard and stinging this time, and she felt her own hand being lifted, pressed down hard into her chest, causing her to cough as the pain stabbed into her. "Come on! Use your magic! Heal yourself! You can do this!"

Magic. That's right, she was magic. She had to...

Emma pulled in as much air as she could, feeling her mouth begin to fill with blood. She pulled from deep, deep within her, leaning hard into the strength of Killian's arms and pushing the power through her, feeling it sing in her veins as it raced down her arms and through her fingertips. She heard a startled sound from Killian as it flashed against her, but he didn't let go.

And then she could breathe again. She opened her mouth, coughing hard, clearing the last of the blood and fluid from her lungs. Killian rolled her quickly to her side, holding her hair back as she sucked in great lungfuls of air and then sagged weakly back against him.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked up at him.

"So...you gonna hit me again?"

He put his hand to his face, rolling back onto his backside in the dirt, gasping with relief. Then he rolled back over, pulling her in tightly and rocking her, kissing her face and hair over and over again between words.

"You're all right. You're all right. You're all right." He couldn't stop repeating it, his hand running up and down as he reassured himself.

"I need air," she said, muffled into his chest. "Ease up, there."

He nodded, giving her some space but refusing to let her go. "Don't ever do that to me again," he groaned. "Ever."

Emma looked around. "Are they gone?"

"Yes. Gone or dead."

"We can't be sure they're gone for long," Leroy cautioned. "We need to get out of here and find shelter. George doesn't like to leave loose ends."

"He's got Neal," Emma said, her eyes filling up. "Killian, he's got Neal."

"I know, love."

"What if he has others? What if he has Henry?"

"We don't know that. And we'll get him back. We'll get them all back. But right now, we need to get to safety." He moved her carefully off of him and got to his feet. "Can you walk?"

Emma rolled to her knees, looking over at Leroy as he bandaged Archie's hand.

"You okay there, Archie?"

Archie nodded weakly, ashen-faced and still shaking. "I'm fine, Emma. Leroy says it went clean through - no broken bones."

Killian extended a hand down, and Emma took it, gaining her feet. She reached down and brushed off her breeches, then clucked distastefully at all the blood on her shirt. "Guess I'm not going to any fancy dinner parties or balls tonight," she quipped.

"You need to get some rest," Killian said, setting his forehead against hers.

"I'm fine now, Killian. Really. All healed up."

"Then I need some rest. You just took ten years off my life, love."

"You've got a few to spare," she smirked.

"Ah, but I don't want to lose a day with you," he said, kissing her lightly. "Now come on, let's get some cover around us."

###

"You are so busted!" Vince said, leaning in over Henry's shoulder.

"Just wait till Angela gets a load of this," Jared added, gloating. "Were you cruising for some action? Or selling yourself to some old guy in a parking lot?"

Henry stood up from the computer chair, glaring at both boys, his hands clenched into fists.

"It's none of your business," he gritted out, his eyes flashing a warning.

"How did you get around the parental controls on the computer?" Vince asked. "Angela has them set pretty tight, but you managed to get to Craigslist."

"Mirrors and proxies," Henry said. "I'd show you, but you two would just be downloading porn."

"Damn right!" Jared crowed. "And I think if you don't want Angela to find out, maybe you'd better be tutoring us, along with Aidan. Only we want to learn how to do this."

"No way," Henry said firmly.

"Then I guess you're not going to be Angela's pet anymore, are you?" Jared sneered.

"I guess not," he said, staring them down.

"Come on, Jared," Vince said, "We're wasting our time."

"But - "

"Henry knows we've got something on him. And we might need a favor sometime." Vince gave Henry a grin that was far from friendly. In fact, it reminded Henry of his grandfather, and he wondered again, for the hundredth time, how they could all just be gone. Just like that.

"Yeah," Jared agreed. "Think about that, why don't you?"

He added his mirthless grin to Vince's and they both strolled out the door. Henry turned and hurriedly closed down the window on the computer, wiping his browser history. He walked back up to his room, closing the door carefully before sliding his hand between the mattress and box spring of his bed, pulling out his cellphone.

He'd hidden it here the first night, after Angela told him he'd have to hand over all electronic devices. He told her he didn't have any, and she believed him, especially since he hadn't used a cellphone to call for help when the police found him walking along the highway. He'd dialed his mother, his grandparents, his grandfather, Killian...everyone he had a number for, but no luck so far.

Henry unfolded the square of paper he'd shoved into his pocket, and carefully dialed the telephone number he'd hastily scrawled on it.

"Hello?" a voice answered on the other end.

"Uh...hi," Henry said hesitantly. "I'm calling about the mountain bike - the one you have on Craigslist. Is it still available?"