Guardian Angel Haruki

Once Upon a Time...

Belle held the egg as she hurried, walking and sometimes jogging, towards the well that was in the forest. Nobody seemed to mind her as she headed for the forest which was a relief since she didn't have the time to stop and answer questions. She followed the directions Rumpelstiltskin's letter described, until she reached the stone wishing well. She looked at the placard which read that the waters of the well returned what was once lost. She swallowed thickly as she stared at the well. She hoped that she wasn't too late. She went up the steps to the well and she mumbled,

"Alright, here goes nothing!"

Curiosity took over for a moment, and she opened the egg to see a potion inside. The potion was a magenta colored liquid that seemed to shine with a strange light. She took out the poition and poured the magenta contents into the well and the echo of splashes could be heard. She nodded and she turned to start heading back to the town knowing that there was nothing more to be done, eager to be reunited with Rumpelstiltskin once again, when something truly unexpected happened.

She stopped in her tracks when that familiar, heavy, and dark feeling crept into her heart. She turned and she saw large clouds of purple smoke billowing out from the well. She knew the smoke and feeling very well, exposed to nothing but that forboding feeling during her prolonged stay at The Dark Castle as well as her very short stay at Regina's.

It was magic! But this world didn't have magic! She watched the smoke with wide eyes, unable to turn away as a thought came to her mind. Rumpelstiltskin had lied to her! He would be able to save himself with his magic, yes. But...what of the woman in the hospital? Was her life really going to be saved or was he playing with her emotions again? She fell to her knees at the thought of Rumpelstiltskin betraying her trust once again, and at the guilt in taking away what Henry needed to save his true love.

Before she knew it, the clouds of purple smoke enveloped around her and the well, clouding her vision and watched with helplessness as the clouds continued engulfing the entire town of Storybrooke and even though she had done exactly what Rumpelstiltksin had asked of her, she still felt like she had made the wrong terrible decision.

Once Upon a Time...

*~*~*Collaboration between Ghost Shadow and I. Ghost Shadow = Henry Carlyle, and Mark Dufresne. And I = Belle*~*~*

It didn't take Belle long to read the instructions Rumpelstiltskin had written down, and find the place he had mentioned. She hurried inside, since the note said that there wasn't much time for the woman that was dying in the hospital. She easily noticed that the doors were locked, so she went in through the broken window.

Mark, on the meanwhile, had gotten to work turning the rather large brass dial that moved the elevator; not paying attention to his surroundings as he focused his attentions on getting Henry back up.

A resounding clang signaled that the elevator had reached the top, the doors sliding away abruptly to reveal a dirtied, bruised Henry; his clothes torn and stained, his breaths short wheezes as he was suffering from what appeared to be bruised ribs.

"Henry, what the hell happened down there?" Mark demanded in a voice rife with concern, but still serious and somber.

Henry, however, didn't answer Mark as his eyes landed on Belle; who had just entered into the library through the window. "Oh dear..." The younger man responded, slowly climbing to his feet with a visible wince; his eyes never leaving the woman.

Belle was concerned when the man, Henry Carlyle, appeared as though he had just gotten out of a fight. She swallowed thickly as she spotted the egg in his hand. When he spotted her, she asked awkwardly, "Um...Are you...Henry Carlyle?"

"How do you know my name?" Henry practically demanded, though there was no anger or unkindness to his tone, but definite distrust and wariness.

Mark could do little but look between Henry and Belle, eyes narrowed skeptically, though he chose to let the information come to him, rather than speak out.

She answered "Th-That's not important as of now. Listen, I need the egg, and you need to hurry to the hospital,"

Henry's expression turned to a glower, his voice turning almost dark in nature, "You expect me to hand this over and go on some wild goose chase and you won't even tell me your name? I don't think so. I went through Hell and back to get this bloody thing!"

Belle jumped slightly at Henry's expression and voice. She said to him, "No, I don't. But I do want to help save the woman in the hospital that you care for, along with the person who is dear to me,"

She then introduced herself, realizing that giving him her name may help the situation, "My name is Belle,"

Henry's expression softened slightly at the mention of Faye...somehow this girl, formally introduced as Belle (a name Henry could have sworn he had heard before) knew about the Sleeping Curse...but how much did she know?

"How do you know about Hea--...err, Faye? I've never seen you in Storybrooke before." Henry asked, distrust still heavy in his tone.

Belle started, deciding about why she seemed new to Storybrooke first might be a good place to start, "The Evil Queen had me in that prison for so many years. I just got out of there---"

At this, Mark intervened, "Wait, what? Faye's in the hospital? Henry why didn't you say anything?!" The fireman demanded harshly, directed solely towards Henry.

Henry took a few moments to wheeze painfully before speaking again, "All in the scheme of things...there are...delicate plans at work."

"Delicate plans? You're a schoolteacher for Christ's sake! What delicate plans could you have besides putting star stickers on test papers?!" Mark retorted, his words denoting humor, while his tone remained abrasive.

"Let me handle this, Nick!" Henry returned, his tone raising as well, staring daggers at Mark. So much was happening right now...things were changing severely.

At the mention of the name 'Nick', Mark seemed to snap. Grabbing Henry by the collar of his shirt, he harshly yanked the younger man down, forcing them both at eye-level. "What the hell did you call me?" Mark seethed, keeping a tight hold on Henry.

Belle watched the argument between Henry and Mark started, and soon she called to them, "Both of you, Stop! Please! This is no time to be arguing!"

Though not looking back at her, Mark's stiff posture seemed to lighten; and he roughly pushed Henry away from him, his eyes looking heavy and tired. "Work this out yourself, Mr. Carlyle. I'm done." He called before leaving back through the window.

Henry stumbled slightly, struggling to keep himself standing as he swallowed hard. "Keep...keep going. Evil Queen, prison, so many years...what's next?" He goaded Belle hoarsely.

Belle blinked and she continued "The Sheriff...or Count Roland...helped me escape. He helped me find Rumpelstiltskin again. But...he's in danger. I fear that Rumpelstiltskin may be dying. He told me what to do with the egg, in order to help him and Faye,"

Henry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he heard Belle out. "Rumpelstiltskin? What on earth do you care about him for?" He asked quizzically, intrigued that someone sincerely wanted to help The Dark One.

Belle felt her worry and fear increase tenfold as time passed on. Feeling that the question was too personal, she retorted, knowing that he'll come up with the same answer, "Well, what on earth do you care about Faye for?"

Henry felt his fists clench at Belle's retort, swallowing rage as he spoke next, "Faye's not a murderer, a thief, a kidnapper, a liar, a cheater, or a monster...Rumpelstiltskin is." He finished on a dark note.

Belle glared and she stated firmly as she stepped forwards and looked Henry in the eye, "Rumpelstiltskin is not a monster. And I would very much appreciate it if you never said that kind of thing again,"

She then stepped back, and she said to him, "Look, there isn't much time. Can you please trust me? Faye will be alright, so long as you're right by her side, Rumpelstiltskin promised."

"Oh...Rumpelstiltskin promised. How comforting..." As much as Henry wanted to simply shout curses at the girl and her devotion to the Imp, something told him that maybe, this time, he would have to trust Rumpelstiltskin, and by extension, Belle.

Henry sighed deeply, looking conflicted for a moment before handing the egg-shaped object over.

"Take it....return it back to your master if he needs it so." Henry said, adding a bit of mockery to his tone at the word 'master'.

Belle took the egg, and she said to Henry sincerely, ignoring the master bit, "Thank you, Henry..." She then said to him, "Hurry to Faye...She needs you," before went off to go and find the well that was mentioned in the letter.

Once Upon a Time...

Name: Belle
Appearance:


(Her beast form is about 8 feet tall and bi-pedal, fur and eye colour remain as they are in her human form.)
Age: 22
Affiliation: Good (Everyone has some evil in them)

Magic Capabilities: Belle is cursed. A simple touch or smell of a pale pink rose and she looses all control of herself, turning into the beast.
Weapons: N/A
Strengths: Physically stronger and more durable than most, disease or illness don’t affect her and her senses are keen and sharp.
Weaknesses: Belle is unable to control the beast that lurks within her. Even a glimpse of pale pink frightens her.

Relationships:
Gaston - Her husband (deceased)

Her family still lives but she doesn’t dare to see them. Fearful of what could come from such a reunion.

Bio: The youngest of six and what some might consider the fairest. Belle was born to a merchant father, one of bountiful riches.
Falling in debt her father attempted to pay it off but the young beauty soon took his place. Imprisoned by the man her father was in debt to she ended up becoming his servant. There was an odd sensation when she was within his presence, she enjoyed his company in truth, a kind soul despite the exterior everyone judged him by. Was it love or was it just Belle’s caring heart? Did she simply wish to help the weak man?

Alas love was not what it was in the end. Rejected by him she was told to leave the castle and never return. Her family greeted her with open arms as her life carried on. Eventually the fair Belle found her love, Gaston, the son of a well known huntsman. She married the young man and not only was she happy her family was as well.



Jealousy was in the air the day of her wedding, a curse placed on young Gaston. There in front of everyone’s eyes the young huntsman transformed into a hideous beast. All were terrified, fleeing the day that was meant to be special for the two. He ran off and Belle followed, the bouquet of pale pink roses still in her hand. She knew who Gaston truly was, the terrible creature he had become on the outside would not change her mind. She still loved the man, he was her true love was he not? 



Although he wished not to see his wife, Belle insisted she stayed by Gaston’s side. The night of their wedding and the unfortunate events that took place, the two finally settled. Deep within the forest where they could not be seen. Belle clutched her bouquet tightly as she leaned in to give her love a kiss. There was a small prick followed by a sting as she dropped the bouquet, the kiss was broken as she pulled away. The beast looked at her in sadness, but there, right before her eyes Gaston returned to his human self, as if the curse faded away. She grinned with excitement as they held onto each other tightly.

‘True love can overcome anything.’

If only that were the case. Gaston worried after seeing some blood on Belle’s hand, she told him not to worry, the thorns were simply not cleared off all the flowers properly. Picking up the bouquet she showed him, the worry washing off his face. As the two stood up to walk away together Belle winced in pain, dropping the bouquet she looked upon herself. Her body began to change. She reached out and called to Gaston but the man grew fearful as he watched Belle turn into the monster he once was. Their eyes met in brief before Belle’s humanity disappeared from her eyes.



Gaston was never seen again and Belle stayed sheltered within the forest, alone and away from anyone.

The Summoner's Labyrinth - Recycle your old characters in my new idea.

I am interested as well. ^^

Supreme Team Psi!

I hope it isn't. I was waiting for more people to post before I go.

Who else is still interested in this?

Once Upon a Time...

*~*~*Collaboration between Ghost Shadow and I*~*~*

A small smile seemed to play at Henry's lips as he put his phone back in his trouser pockets. Mr. Gold called to inform him that the charges were officially dropped - any ban placed on the hospital and Granny's Bed and Breakfast was now lifted, giving Henry full access once again; precisely what he needed.

He hastily made his way down the sidewalk towards the hospital, hands kept in his coat pockets to preserve them from the cold.

Feeling somewhat empowered by the news he received, Henry stepped through the front sliding glass doors to the hospital with a wide grin on his face, waiting for someone to try in vain to tell him to leave.

Nobody tried to get Henry to leave when he entered the hospital. The receptionist hung up the phone when she caught sight of Henry, and just gave him a glare, before she just went back to work.

Faye in the meantime was still working, and she was clearing Mary Margaret, so she could leave the hospital and get back to her married life with Mr. Kowalski in a few days time.

Henry stepped up to the receptionist's area, seemingly oblivious to Ms. Lezowski's rather ominous glare. "A fine afternoon to you, madam!" He greeted warmly enough. "Your left mole.....one of them anyway, appears to be doing better!" He noticed cheerfully, feigning unawareness at the insult. "Could you call Dr. Stevenson down for me, please?" He asked; placing both hands in his coat pockets once again, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Ms. Lezowski narrowed her eyes at Henry menacingly at the mention of the moles. She didn't answer Henry as she paged Dr. Stevenson. After she paged the doctor, she told Henry in her grating voice, "She should be on her way,"

Faye finished clearing Mary Margaret by the time her pager called her to the front desk. She headed for the front desk, and once she was there she saw that it was Henry. She greeted him, "Ah, good afternoon, Henry,"

"And to you...Sweetie." Henry greeted with an almost mischievous smile, now choosing to ignore the monstrous receptionist as if she was no longer there.

"Tell me--" He began, leaning in closely so only she could hear. "Do you remember anything during your time as Hyde?" He asked, sounding somewhat curious. Though he did have a pressing matter to attend to, he might as well get the less-important questions out of hte way first.

Faye raised an eyebrow, and yet felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She noticed that Ms. Lezowski was looking at them in curiosity. She asked Henry warily, "I'm...sorry. What are you talking about Mr. Carlyle?"

She really hoped that he didn't pursue this topic here. She didn't want people in the hospital to know that she had a mental disorder.

"Yeaah...bad time, bad place. But I'm curious..." He began,still keeping his voice low. "She was rather steamy." He added with a cheeky grin before letting his voice raise back to normal. "Anyway...I was wondering if I could see...Mary Margaret, is it? I've been rather worried all morning for her condition." He stated in a serious tone.

Faye clenched her teeth together at the mention of 'her'. Thankfully, he dropped the subject and asked her if he could see Mary Margaret. Faye took a moment to think about it, and it showed on her face. She soon answered Henry apologetically "Mr. Carlyle, I think it would be in Mary Margaret's best interest if we gave her some space. Let her get accustomed to Storybrooke again, alright? She's already confused as is. Not to mention the last time you saw her didn't end very well. I hope you understand, Henry,"

Regina was already suspicious. Henry...why would he care to see Mary Margaret? She asked him twice if he knew her, and twice he told her that he didn't, which were clearly lies.

Henry kept his expression unchanged, but his eyes seemed to shout betrayal. "I see...yes, that makes sense. Give Mrs. Kowalski my regards." He practically spat the word 'Mrs' before turning to leave the building.

Faye noticed how his eyes shouted betrayal, while her own showed regret. She nodded to his request, and she said "Of course," After he turned to leave, she added "Mr. Carlyle--"

"My name is Henry." He interrupted abruptly, though didn't turn to look back at her.

Faye swallowed at his interruption, and she continued, correcting herself, "Henry...I am sorry. But...this doesn't mean you can't ever see Mary Margaret. It just...won't be tonight, alright?"

"Right...sure." He replied in a tone that signaled he was done with the conversation before exiting the double doors quietly.

Faye watched him leave quietly, and after he was gone, she walked off to continue her work. She kept telling herself that she had done the right thing in not allowing Henry to see Mary Margaret. If he had gone to see her, Faye would not only be betraying Knox's trust, but she would probably also have endangered Henry into another problem, most likely something like the incident that made the town see him as the town creep.

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between Tanderbolt and I (with Yoshi as an NPC)

*~*~*

Once back at the hospital, Jane Doe had been filled in on almost everything that needed to be discussed with her about her time spent in the hospital. It was to the entire staff at the hospital's disappointment (and to David and the other's) that Jane Doe couldn't tell them a thing about herself. She didn't know her name, where she came from, what had happened; her only recollection was sleeping and for a very, very long time. There were little snippits she could share, like being able to recognize David's voice from when he read to her, but nothing substantantially important as to what her real identity was.

After Jane Doe was comfortable and settled back into the hospital bed where the doctors could now run full tests on her, Ruby decided to call it a day. She and Knox had spent the entire night patroling the hospital and she was overdue for some good, solid sleep however she found that during their search Knox had gone home, no doubt to catch some sleep as well. The keyring in her pocket suddenly grew heavy as she realized she still had a key to his place; the least she could do is pop over there real quick and tell him that they had found Jane Doe at least, and so Ruby left the hospital to head over to Knox's place, knowing Granny would understand if she took the day off. She did manage to save a life after all.

David sat on the edge of Jane Doe's bed, keeping her company while the doctors poked and prodded her. She was even brought a very light meal consisting of Jell-o and water, not wanting to send her into immediate sickness with having solid food in her stomach for the first time in...well, as long as anyone could remember. David didn't leave her side though, taking it upon himself to entertain her and make her smile and laugh to help pass the time. Due to the apparent memory loss, she would be staying at the hospital for a bit longer until the doctors felt that she was ready to go out on her own or if her memories came back, a silent prayer going through the hospital that it would be the latter.

"What do you think you'll do, you know, once you get released?" David asked bending at his waist slightly to circle a word he had just found in the wordsearch the two of them had been working on for quite some time.

"I'll have to find a place to live, and a job. It'll be hard, I don't really remember anything I could put on a resume. What do you think of this town, anyway? Is it a good place to live?" Jane Doe said, trying to get some basic information about where she was.

"Storybrooke is the perfect place to live when you're not really sure what you can do or what you are capable of." David answered honestly, and circled another word. "I work down at the pet shelter, we're a little short on staff if animals is your kind of thing."

"I'd love to work with animals, I'll be sure to stop by once I get out of here."

David beamed. It wasn't really anything to grin at the way he did, but it was almost impossible for David to hide his happiness.

"Did the doctors know anything about what happened to me? I can't rememeber anything since waking up." Jane Doe said, still frustrated by her amnesia.

"The only thing I've ever heard is that Mayor Mills found you on the side of the road a while back, in a crashed car." David shrugged. "It must have been pretty bad for you to lose your memory so bad though." Almost sensing her frustration, David extended his arm out and put his hand loosely on top of hers, meeting her eyes in a sincere gaze. "Don't worry, I'll help you remember, whatever it takes."

"Thank you, you've been so kind. If the mayor is the one who saved me from the car wreck, I'd like to meet her and thank her in person. If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't be alive right now."

David seemed to hesitate at first. Regina wasn't exactly known for her kind words lately, however his thought process was completely detoured as Dr. Stevenson approached the two of them apprehensively, looking as if she might be afraid to interrupt them.

Faye didn't want to interrupt the two, but she did need to do her job and give Jane Doe the results of her diagnostic tests. She walked up to the two of them, and greeted the two of them politely, "Hello. I'm sorry for interrupting, but I'd like to give Ms. Doe her results,"

David nodded and started to get up from the edge of Jane Doe's bed. He didn't need to be around to hear the results, it was personal information intended only for Dr. Stevenson and herself.

"I'll go grab us some lunch. I doubt that Jell-o tied you over much."

Jane looked in David's direction, and waved at him "I'd imagine I've worked up quite an appetite after a few years of sleep." She then turned to look at Dr. Faye, and said "Thank you, doctor. Anything I should know about up front?"

Faye watched David leave and as he did she warned him "Just to be safe, don't get her solid foods,"
She then looked to Jane Doe with a kind expression and she answered as she gave Jane Doe her results, "Well, you seem to be in good health. There really isn't any other major problems,"

Jane smiled, and said. "Good to hear. Thank you for taking care of me, I feel pretty good even after what's happened. What did you say your name was?"

Faye smiled and nodded to Jane in response to her thanks and she answered "It's really no problem,". She answered Jane, "I am Dr. Faye Stevenson, nice to meet you,"
She then added, "I'm sure you'll be able to make some new memories here in Storybrooke,"

She stretched out her hand to offer a hand shake, and said "Nice to meet you, I hope my new memories are good ones."

Faye shook Jane's hand and after they shook hands, Faye's pager beeped, and she said to Jane, "Oh, Duty calls! Have a good day, Ms. Doe,"
After she said that, Faye left Jane Doe alone and hurried to take care of another patient.

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between Ghost Shadow and I

*~*~*

Faye led Henry from the town square, past Regina's mansion, and right to her own large house. She said to Henry as she walked up to her own front door, "Well. Here it is," She brought out her own keys and unlocked the front door, letting herself and Henry in.

Henry had to adjust his eyes once more to the nearly pitch-darkness of the house (due to the power being out all across town), but stepped through the front door. "I can hardly see....but it smells nice!" He complimented, slightly awkwardly.

Faye blinked and she answered his compliment just as awkwardly, "Er...Thank you," She stepped into the dark house, and reached to her side, where she knew was a decorative table. On top of that table, right where she placed her hand was a flashlight. She turned on the flashlight and pointed the light all around the house just in case.

Had the power not gone out, her house would've been a lovely sight. It was clean and neatly decorated, except for the alcohol on the small table beside the large chair that sat in front of the empty fireplace in the living room.

However, in the darkness, it looked like a perfect place for a monster to lurk about....

She led the way inside, and said "Right. I'll direct you to the guest room, and give some ground rules along the way,"

"Sounds lovely!" Henry replied, seething through grit teeth as his hand kept on flaring up. "Lovely place, very...mysterious, I like it." He complimented in his usual tone, managing to sneak a healthy glance of the doctor here or there as she walked in front of him.

She heard his hiss and remembered to get antiseptics and bandages for Henry's wound. She led him down the halls (grabbing the antiseptics and bandages along the way), and when they past a set of stairs that went down towards a heavy metal door, she said to him "Henry. Never go downstairs, under any circumstances,"

For some reason, the darkness seemed to make Faye somber, grave, and even more wary than normal. It was as though she was scared of the possible monster that lurked in the shadows.

Soon they reached the guest bedroom and she said "Here's the guest bedroom. Once you're in here at night, stay here until morning. Lock your bedroom door,"

She then said "Let's tend to that wound," She then got out a handkerchief, poured a bit of the antiseptic on the cloth, and she warned Henry "This will sting," before she placed the cloth on the wound,

"Goddamnit!" He swore with a hiss as the antiseptic felt like someone was literally putting salt in the open wound. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the sharp pain to pass.

Faye looked carefully at the wound, watching as the Hydrogen Peroxide bubbled on his wound, killing any bacteria that may cause infection. She continued treating his wound with the chemical until no bubbles rose from his wound.

She said to him as she put away the cloth and chemical "There we go. The disinfecting's done," She then got to bandaging the wound.

"Good...good." Henry replied as he felt the pain slowly begin to linger away. "Because then I couldn't do this." He said before leaning in to kiss her once more.

Faye blinked when he kissed her, and at first she started to kiss back. But then she felt a familiar stab of pain in her heart, and for a brief moment, black flooded into Faye's blue eyes.

Knowing what the pain meant, Faye gasped quietly "No!" and pulled back away from Henry.

Realizing she may have accidentally sent the wrong message to Henry, she said "I'm-I'm sorry about that, Henry. I'm-I'm quite tired...I'll...I'll see you in the morning," She then hurried out of the room while reminding him with a hidden tone of fear "Remember the rules I told you. Please"

She closed the door behind her and her footsteps could be heard, and it seemed that she was running.

Henry could do little but sit there, dumbfounded, at what had just occurred. "Too soon, Chesh." He told himself, standing up to get undressed. "Too soon." He repeated bitterly, tossing his clothes to the ground until he was wearing only his suit.

Soon enough, Henry would be able to hear footsteps moving about in the house, and soon enough, the sound of music coming from the large living room he had seen earlier,

"I see the bad moon arising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin'.
I see those bad times today.

Don't go around tonight,
Well it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise."

Henry stared at the closed door as he picked up the sound of music from the living room. "Just...ignore it, Cat." He told himself as he tried to look back at his own Walkman player that was strewn on the bed. Though try as he might, he couldn't stop hearing that music continue on in his ears.

The music continued, seeming to grow louder, loud enough to entice the cat's curiosity,

"I hear hurricanes a blowing.
I know the end is coming soon.
I fear rivers over flowing.
I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

Well don't go around tonight,
Well it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise."

Henry couldn't take it anymore, standing to his feet; he slowly and cautiously stepped towards the door of the room. He took in a deep breath and turned the handle, swinging the door wide open. He had a hunch who it might be on the other side...

He walked through the threshold, down the halls until the living room came into view.

"Hope you got your things together.
Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we're in for nasty weather.
One eye is taken for an eye."

The living room was lit only by the fire that was now burning with great passion in the fireplace. The large, green, cushioned chair that faced towards the fireplace, was now occupied by someone. On the table, the small glass and glass container of scotch, was replaced by two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. In the living room, Henry would also notice large bookshelves filled with many different books, along with a grand piano. The source of the music however, was coming from an IPod connected to a platform with speakers.

"Well don't go around tonight,
Well it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise."

The occupant of the chair spoke up, the figure never standing up to show herself, but her voice was all too familiar, "Why, Henry. How good of you to join me,"

"Well...hello, Sweetie." Henry greeted in a flirty manner as he made his way to the large fireplace. "Been awhile, hasn't it?" He asked nonchalantly, hands in his trouser pockets, by habit.

The woman's voice answered, "Hmm...Yes, it has. I see that the good Doctor has been quite...generous to offer you a place to stay,"

"Yes...and I'm very grateful. Oh, but you already know that, don't you? Because our good Dr. Stevenson is sitting in that chair." He said nonchalantly, moving towards the small table to fill a wine glass for both of them.

As he would grab the wine bottle, Henry would be able to see that the person sitting in the chair...was nothing more than a mannequin. And in that mannequin's lap, was a small voice recorder, replaying a message in eerie clarity,

"And yet...it appears you've been quite horrible...you chronic liar..."

Before he knew, the woman was behind him, and she grappled him, pinning his arms behind him, and with her hand on his throat, not squeezing air out, but threatening to rip his vocal cords out with her nails. She said to him with malicious glee, "Gotcha. Now...what is it that you know?"

Henry could only look at the mannequin with a slight sense of dread before the Woman was upon him in a flash. "What a reunion, eh? You should have told me you were gonna play hard-to-get." Henry joked, managing a small grin.

"And I can see you're still as beautiful as ever...my, my, my, how the time flies." He added, seeming to regress back into his "Cat" persona.

The woman seemed to smirk and she chuckled darkly "Hmhmhm, how cute. But you should know very well, that one of the morals to fairy tales..." At this point, she nuzzled the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent, "Is to never trust flatterers,"

She then pushed him down to the carpeted floor, and got over him, her knees pinning themselves harshly against Henry's ribs. She was wearing a beautiful and seductive red dress that truly made her look as though she could be the Ruler of Hell herself. With a scalpal in hand she warned him, "Now then. We can do this the easy way...or the hard way. It's all your choice,"

She then asked seriously "Who do you think I am?"

"That's a lovely dress, Ms. Hyde..." Henry began with a smirk across his lips, "Only thing lovelier would be to see you out of it." He added, seemingly not paying any attention to the surgical instrument in her hand - he had answered her question without resistance...

The woman looked serious before a smirk crossed her lips again, and she retorted "I see the cat is out of the bag,"
She sighed airily "Such a shame...! It looks like I have to kill you," She then smirked wickedly and continued "And it's such a shame that you set yourself up for your own death. You really shouldn't have messed with that circuit breaker!"

"I can see that now." Henry responded, masking his fear with airy confidence. "But I so missed seeing you, why, I had to do something. So...how's about you kindly let me move, we'll both go to the bedroom...and by the time we're done, you'll be ready to forgive me, eh?" He offered with a cheeky grin, surprised at how he could feel so much fear and enticement towards the same woman.

Her hands slammed against the floor, in a sudden quick movement, landing on either side of Henry's head. She gazed into Henry's eyes with her black soulless eyes, and she asked "Now, why would I be interested in someone who runs? You admitted it yourself that you've been running from your past, all your life,"

She licked her lips and she asked, not giving Henry time to answer the question, "You know what runs, Mr. Carlyle? Prey runs," The word prey came out as an animalistic growl, and her lips curled into a snarl.

"I'm a cat...it's my nature." He responded almost cryptically. "But you'll find that those who run, oftentimes simply wait for the best moment to strike." With this, he tried to lean his head in as best he could, given the circumstances.

"I want you." He growled at her, eyes narrowing coolly. "And something tells me...you share the sentiment." He added, licking his lips slower-than-necessary.

Hyde inhaled through her nostrils and she commented "You reek of fear. Not desire," She then added bitterly "I know where your loyalties lie...with that Mayor,"

"Sleeping with someone and being loyal to them are two different things, my dear. I'm *loyal* to Dr. Stevenson...both parts of her." Henry reassured seriously, occasionally shifting his eyes down to glimpse at her chest before looking back up again. "And I can assure you...there is desire." He said in an almost seductive manner, keeping his composure.

Hyde laughed bitterly "That's what they all said...The men who tried long before you. They swore they were loyal to us, but they were liars! They got their end. I'm not about to risk our identities being exposed to the mayor,"

Henry thought quickly, knowing that Hyde would soon lose her patience and decide to kill him. "Think about it this way, then...I know who you are...and you know who *I* am...how's about we both keep each other's secrets from the mayor, eh? Everyone's happy..." He offered, looking slightly tense.

Hyde narrowed her gaze at him and she let out a growl like "Hmmm..." in thought. She then looked up at the ceiling, and she seemed to give a huff of annoyance. She backed away from him, and stood up with her scalpal in hand. She placed the scalpal on the table, and right after she did, the overhead lights came on.

She said to Henry "Congratulations," He had survived his encounter with Ms. Hyde.

Henry looked up as the lights suddenly flashed back on. He grinned as he centered his head on Hyde again. "Gratefully accepted." He said with a small glint in his eyes.

"Now...maybe we could move on to that desire part I was talking about?" He practically purred, amazing himself with how quickly he could switch emotions.

Hyde smirked and she answered "Well...I suppose the survivor should get a prize..."

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between Major Ursa as Knox Kowalski and I as Dr. Faye Stevenson

*~*~*

Faye entered the hospital entrance, carrying the box of candles with her. She figured that the other doctors would be celebrating their fundraising success in the breakroom. However, she decided to set the heavy box down and catch her breath for a moment. She set the box down on the floor gently and took a moment to breathe.

Knox had been at the end of the hall, when he noticed Faye carrying a rather hefty (for the woman’s size) looking box. Pausing out of surprise for only a moment, he did a slight jog on over, “Do you need help with that?”

Gesturing a hand to the box, and giving the doctor a querying look, brow slightly raised…the security guard anticipated the situation going either way, but he wasn't going to take no for an answer on this “Just let me know if the contents are fragile or sensitive materials, I can carry them at a more careful pace.”

Faye looked to Knox when he jogged over and she said "Oh! Mr. Kowalski. Thank you for the offer, but you don't have to if you're too busy,"
When he mentioned the contents, she answered "I don't think candles would be that fragile,"

His brow furrowed in confusion, before speaking to her in a rather stern tone, “There is a proper explanation for this, I assume? Candles are a fire hazard in this high oxygen ventilated hospital environment, and we also have a policy against anything scented…”

Faye slumped her shoulders at his reminder. She reassured him, "I'm not going to make or allow people to light candles in the hospital, and these are not scented," She explained, "I volunteered to help the nuns sell candles. They have to sell a thousand of them by tonight, and so far, they haven't sold any," She then grumbled bitterly "I wouldn't doubt it if Mr. Gold had something to do with why they have to sell so many candles,"

Hearing of Mr Gold, Knox could only just nod. One of the few people who didn’t owe Mr Gold in some way, the security guard did well to avoid the man entirely...till over one week ago, and that report sent in…something nagged at him that either the report was put on the back burner, or had gotten lost. He would just have to make a duplicate to send in, again.

Staring down at the box—he had a brand new LED flashlight, candles would be a hell of a step down. Letting out a long sigh, there was little hesitation--doubt in his mind, “How much for this box?”

Faye blinked rapidly at his question and she did a double take in surprise. She answered in slight shock, "The-The entire box? That would be a hundred and eighty dollars. Five dollars per candle, and there are thirty six in there..."

Not taking his time in this transaction, the security guard pulled out his wallet and started pulling out a number of twenties and ones. Holding the cash securely in his hand, Knox looked at Dr Stevenson and responded to her apparent surprise with a rather wry expression, finally speaking up after a moment with a rather dry tone, “Why the astonishment, Dr Stevenson?”

Dr. Stevenson answered, her astonishment was being replaced by happiness, "I'm just pleasantly surprised, Mr. Kowalski. This is very generous of you. Thank you! I'm sure the nuns would be very happy,"

His stiff exterior relaxed to a more relieved one. Ah, might as well. Pulling yet another two twenties out, handing over the new sum of cash, “The additional forty is for your fundraising.” And now…now Knox had a full box of candles to manage. As much as this creeping, impulsive and less caring part of him wanted to just stick the box under his security office desk to use as a foot stool, there was still the proposed fire hazard that he himself had brought up.

Easily hefting up the box of candles, the security guard gave a less stiff nod to Dr Stevenson, after she mentioned the gratitude of the nuns, “No problem, this is for a good cause.” This was going to be something interesting to bring home (and shove into the garage, maybe leave one out).

Dr. Stevenson nodded and said to him gratefully, accepting the extra forty for her fundraising, "Thank you again, Mr. Kowalski. I'll see you later," She then walked out of the hospital, heading for the nunnery to pick up more candles to sell. As she walked there, she pulled out her phone and texted Henry.

"Sold 36 candles! Heading to nunnery to pick up more to sell. -Faye"

She sent the text and kept on walking as she put her phone back into her purse.

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between Ghost Shadow as Henry Carlyle, Mason, and Mark Dufresne, YoshiSkittlez as Red and Granny, and I as Dr. Faye Stevenson

*~*~*

The lines at the dunk tank seemed to thin out as time progressed as people either were running out of spending money, or had their fill dunking the not-so-newcomer. Henry slowly climbed out of the booth for what was (hopefully) the last time. To say he was soaked would be an understatement, as water seemed to *constantly* be dripping off him. His crisp white shirt, unfortunately, couldn't handle the ordeal, and had shrunk almost to a ridiculous point.

"Have your laugh while you will, doctor." Henry warned Faye, "I'm changing as soon as possible." He said through chittering teeth.

Faye was holding back her laughter by covering her mouth with a hand, but a few chuckles got out as Henry warned. She soon calmed down enough to answer Henry, "I would say 'I told you so', but at this point, it would be redundant,"

Granny, who had been quite jovial watching Henry's unofficial punishment, piped up from her own bakery stand: "You look drenched, dear. Might be safer just to take your shirt off here."

Henry could only give the old woman a look that practically shouted "Really?" followed by Ruby jabbing the older woman in the ribs...again. Faye also looked at Granny, but with a look mixed between 'Really?' and a hesitant, awkward look.

"Dr. Stevenson, would you kindly help me...waddle back to my car?" Henry asked, looking down at his rather-tight clothing that gave him an awkward gait. "I've got some spare clothes in my suitcase..." He added, pushing a bit of hair out of his face.

Faye nodded and chuckled "Yeah, I'll help," She held onto Henry's arm, in order to make sure that he didn't fall over from the awkward gait, and she led him to his car. As she led him to the car, she asked "Well...that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Nah, not terribly bad." Henry agreed, undoing the first few buttons of his shirt to give him more mobility as he began searching through his suitcase. "Ah, here we are!" He exclaimed after a few moments, drawing a few pieces of clothing from the case with a gleeful smile on his face.

"Where do I..." he stopped mid-sentence, looking around him with slight concern. "Where do I change?" He asked Faye, somewhat awkwardly; scratching the back of his head. He had no qualms changing in front of her, and might have even suggested it - but he was on the sidewalk, and with his luck, both Regina and Robert would spot him.

Faye blushed as she looked around and as she did, she answered, "Um...you could use the bathroom in the convenient store over there,"

Henry looked over at the direction of the convenience store, nodding subtly at her suggestion. "Yes, that would work excellently! Thank you!" He commended, gathering the dry, clean clothes in his arms. "You can just wait out here...I shouldn't be long." He said with a small smile, his eyes seeming to study her intently.

Faye nodded and said "Alright. I'll wait here," When he seemed to just stand there, she asked in a joking tone, "Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation?"

"Oh! Sorry!" He exclaimed before rather hurriedly fast-walking to the store. A silence seemed to fall on the street for about six minutes until he emerged once again in his smart looking longcoat and suit.

"Ah, good! Much better than my other outfit, don't you think?" He asked with a grin, letting his hands go to his coat pockets by habit.

Faye answered as she looked at him, "Yeah, it is. You look very dapper,"

Henry's smile only widened, obviously pleased by her compliment. "No time to waste then, we best be heading back to the town square; I think I've had enough water to last me the day." He quipped with a small smirk, resisting the urge to offer his hand for her to take - a visible look of conflict on his face for a split-second before turning jovial once again.

The doctor noticed the brief look of conflict on his face, but she ignored it as she answered "OK. Let's go then," She led the way to the town square as she joked, "I'm sure Granny would say otherwise though,"

"Ah, well, I can't blame her." He said in a tone that was both serious and amused at the same time. "I..." He abruptly stopped, clearing his throat as he expected her to do the same. "I enjoyed working with you--" 'Heather' he thought, "--Faye." He said warmly, a sincere smile on his lips.

She stopped when he did and she turned to look at him. When he made his comment, she smiled and answered in kind, "So did I, Henry," She looked around at the people around her and she said "And I think...the rest of Storybrooke enjoyed our work," She easily noticed that the cruel words were gone along with the cold shoulders.

"Yes, I agree!" He said cheerily, though his eyes didn't leave her to look around. "I don't think I ever told you -- thank you...for believing in me when no one else did." He said sincerly, if not somewhat uncomfortably; not at the words, but the subject matter.

Faye looked back to him when he thanked her and she couldn't help but remember her questions about why she trusted him. Her smile faded a bit at the thoughts, but they were replaced by a smile as she pushed those thought at the back of her mind, and she said to him "Oh, it's really no trouble at all,"

Henry nodded, smiling slightly in return before turning to walk again; looking back over his shoulder to see if Faye was keeping up. The two of them eventually made it back to the stand; Henry forced to deal with the sour looks that Granny kept on giving him, seeming to be pestering Ruby about something who made a point to ignore her granddmother by going out of her way to bring in people to buying their cookies.

Henry smirked at the both of them, reaching into his pocket for his gloves when he felt someone clip his shoulder while walking past.

Both Henry, and the person who bumped into him turned around at once, revealing a rather-agitated looking Mark who was rubbing his shoulder and staring daggers into Henry; as thought the latter had personally attacked him.

"Oh! Sorry, mate." Henry bid with a forgiving smile, his blue eyes looking from the shorter man to Mason, who's smaller hand was clinging on tightly to Mark's own.

Faye looked at Mark and Mason after the large fireman bumped into Henry. She looked around to see if Regina was nearby. But she knew that was unlikely because everyone saw her storm off earlier.

"Mason?" Henry started, confused. "Where's Regina at?" He asked, perplexed.

Before Mason could answer, however, Mark butted in: "We don't know, so we're trying to find her - now if you would excuse us." Without another word, Mark had already turned to leave, the young boy in tow.

"Wait just a second." Henry objected, successfully resulting in Mark stopping to look back at him.

"You were the one working the candle stall, weren't you?" Henry asked with an almost-mischievous smile crossing his lips.

"Yes, what of it?" Mark returned, sounding quite impatient.

"Well, I noticed things weren't going so well for you there - so I'm offering you my services!" Henry offered, pointing to himself with a single gloved hand.

"No." Mark responded bluntly before turning to leave again.

"You're making a mistake, friend--" Henry began, letting both hands go to his pockets. "Think about it: you now have an extra hand selling those candles, and an extra set of eyes to find the boy's..." he stopped for a moment, as if trying to figure out how Mason and Regina referred to each other these days.

"Mom." Mason finally finished, looking quite confused as it seemed his teacher didn't know what a mother was.

"Oh! Yes, quite right. Sorry! Got tongue-tied for a moment, it seems. Thank you, Mason." Heny commended, clasping the boy's shoulder with an approving nod.

Mark, too, seemed to think over Henry's offer with a conflicted look on his face. "Alright, fine, if you think you can sell those candles then I'll take all the help I can get." He finally agreed, though his tone still remained unfriendly and distant.

"Good show! I knew you had brains in you, Tin Man." Henry joked with a cheeky grin.

"My name is Mark." Mark replied curtly, obviously finding no amusement in the nickname that seemed to be spreading no thanks to Leroy and his fellow firemen.

"Come now, lighten up! You're not going to sell candles looking like your dog just died." Henry said, trying to goad Mark into a more pleasant expression.

"Don't joke about that." Mark warned before turning to leave once more, but this time looking back on occasion to see if Henry was following.

Faye listened to the conversation, and before he could leave, she called to him politely, "Mr. Dufresne. Would you mind if I helped out as well?"

Mark stopped once more as another voice called his name. He was about to turn and sternly silence the person speaking when he saw it was Faye Stevenson. "Oh...Doctor, good afternoon." He greeted politely, (earning a strange look from Henry at the man's sudden courtesy).

Faye nodded and she greeted in kind, "Good afternoon, Mr. Dufresne," She held back a laugh at Henry's comically strange look directed at Mark.

"Yes, I could most certainly use your help...we need to sell one thousand candles by tonight...I'm not going to lie, it's going to be an extremely difficult task. But if you could take a few dozen to the hospital and see if anyone's interested, I'd be much obliged. I'll take the creep and go local" He said, motioning to Henry as he said the word 'creep'.

The doctor was shocked to hear that they needed to sell a thousand candles by tonight. It seemed as though 'dificult' would be an understatement. She answered his request to take the candles to the hospital, she aswered, "I'll do that,"

"Oi! I'm trying to help you! No need to call me names, Tin Man." Henry objected with a slight sneer, earning another glare from Mark.

When the two started fighting, she broke up the fight, using her tone that she would normally use when giving directions in the hospital, "Henry, Mark. This is no time to be fighting," She then looked to Mark and she asked, her tone slowly going back to normal. "Now, how many candles have you sold thus far?"

Henry and Mark shared one last glare after Faye reprimanded them, acting more like young children than adults. But Mark quickly switched gears back to the matter at hand, still keeping a tight hold onto the growingly-impatient Mason, who was not in the mood to be standing around.

"Um...none." He finally confessed sheepishly, looking back at the candle stall with the giant stack of boxes.

Faye nodded at his answer, biting at her bottom lip in thought, and remained silent for a few seconds before she said with an optimistic tone, "Alright. Then what are we standing here for? Let's get to work,"

Mark nodded sharply before taking Mason to the stall where the seemingly-impenetrable wall of boxes cast an almost intimidating light.

"Mr. Carlyle, you and I will take a few boxes and go door-to-door locally. Dr. Stevenson will take a few more to the hospital to see if anyone's interested. Then when we've run out...hopefully...we'll meet back here to get more--"

"What about my mom?" Mason objected in a somewhat agitated tone.

"And to find Regina." Mark added in an almost hopeful tone. "Now then, let's move out, shall we?" He asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he headed over to the box wall and began pulling a few boxes down onto the ground for easier access.

The doctor nodded in response to Mark's question as she headed over and picked up a box full of candles. The box felt heavy in her arms, but she was able to lift it without complaint.

Mark wordlessly stacked two boxes atop another, lifting the small stack up with relative ease; wincing as his shoulder cried in protest...he hadn't taken his medication in a few hours and was suffering because of it.

Henry lifted one, himself, looking slightly struggled - he was never one for heavy lifting, himself. Mark had Mason carry the metal money box as the boy wanted to be of some use to the small party (which Mark was more than happy to oblige).

"We'll be seeing you back here," Mark began to Faye. "Good luck, doctor!" He said confidentally before turning to walk towards the more residential part of Storybrooke, Henry and Mason following closely at his heels.