Lord Wyron

Children of Lord Dracula (4 player high-casual rp)

Thank you very much for the compliments, Malikoy :) I edited Viktor's CS to change his specialty power to one that's a bit more useful :P Now to avoid tipping the scale or becoming overpowered, I'll make sure its limited in use and balanced to keep all fairness, should you approve.

Children of Lord Dracula (4 player high-casual rp)

Hey Malikoy, just wanted to let you know that if Precognition is OP or too much of a power, I'd be more than happy to change it :P

Children of Lord Dracula (4 player high-casual rp)

Name: Viktor von Gesner

Age: 35

Sex: Male

Appearance:

Viktor von Gesner

Description

Both before and after his death and 'rebirth', Viktor was considered by many to be handsome. While human, Viktor was a tall and fit young man with a square jaw, rich, chestnut-colored hair, and ocean-blue eyes; his days spent helping work at his family's sawmill during his adolescent years left him healthy and well-built. His complexion was light but not pallid, remaining smooth and unblemished. After awakening from his transformation, however, Viktor's appearance changed with him. He seemed to age physically, his skin becoming sickly pale in color, as though he hadn't seen the sun in months. His hair started to gray and lose its youthful richness, and his eyes seemed to freeze over like ice, becoming an unsettling electric blue in color. Wrinkles and frown lines began to form on his face, and heavy bags underneath his eyes gave him the appearance of eternal fatigue - as though something heavy weighed down on his shoulders. Besides all this, however, Viktor's former youthfulness seemed to return, if only for a time, after enjoying a 'meal'.

Wardrobe Style: Perhaps considered 'vintage' for this day in age, Viktor makes sure his choice of clothing remains austere and formal. Favoring dark, caliginous colors, Viktor's typical attire consists of either a black overcoat or sports coat over a dark dress shirt/waistcoat combo with matching suit pants, black leather shoes, and a black leather silver-buckled belt. In any outfit he's seen wearing, he keeps a dark-colored scarf neatly tucked into his collar and usually dons a pair of black leather gloves, more for appearance's sake than actual utility.

Example Outfit

Example Outfit Two

Example Outfit Three

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 154 pounds

Bio\History: Born in the German Empire to the Von Gesner family in 1883, Viktor lived the early part of his childhood moving from house to house. His father, Ludwig made little money as a carpenter, and struggled to make ends meet. However, when Viktor was only a young boy, his father received a letter from his brother, Markus in America; an invitation for the small family to come and work for him at a family-owned sawmill.

Boarding an immigration ship to America shortly after receiving the letter, the Von Gesner family found themselves enjoying the best part of the Second Industrial Revolution, as new technologies became available for labor, making work easier and production rates increased. Because of this, the family ended up becoming far wealthier, enough for Viktor to receive an education.

Finding himself enamored by history, Viktor applied himself to these studies, enough to journey onto university to receive a graduate's degree in history and a minor in archival science. Shortly after his graduation, however, his father, a longtime smoker, died due to lung cancer, leaving Viktor a moderate inheritance for him to make something of himself - a future.

Leaving America to head back to Germany in 1906, Viktor, now a young adult, found a comfortable job working at a history museum as a historian/archivist. He stayed in this position for a number of years, achieving moderate success as a hardworking citizen, just as his father would have wanted. But not all was to last. In 1914, World War sparked up between all the major powers of the world, causing mass chaos to erupt. Viktor did his best to remain out of the war, preferring his job as a historian to the soldier's life.

Avoiding the four-year conflict until it's end, Viktor decided that leaving Germany during the aftermath of the Great War would be best, and quickly set off to Transylvania, Romania, intrigued to see what historical marvels the region would have to offer.

There he met the enigmatic and mysterious Lord Dracula, a man of such refined mannerisms and grace that Viktor felt a certain connection to him, as though he wished to always be in the noble's presence. The two of them formed a close companionship that lasted for many weeks, until the fateful day that Viktor awoke to find puncture wounds in his neck...

Overcome by a debilitating illness that left him bedridden for days on end as he underwent the painful and severe transformation into a Vampire, Viktor died in his sleep, with no one to mourn for him.

He remained in a death-like state for only a few hours before awakening again in a rush, overcome by a terrible hunger, a hunger not for food or drink, but for blood. Contacted yet again by Lord Dracula, Viktor was promised he would receive answers to all his questions if only he returned to the lord's castle for an extended stay. Finding himself enjoying immortal life the longer he lived it, Viktor stayed at the castle, becoming one of Dracula's children.

Skills: Expert knowledge in the fields of history, archival science, and English, fluent in both German and English, charismatic and eloquent, almost an inhuman amount of patience and willpower.

Specialty Power(s):

Memory & Knowledge Absorption

A gift (or curse) from his Vampirism has given Viktor the ability to absorb memories from others, effectively able to gain knowledge of nearly anything by extracting it from the minds of his victims through physical and eye contact. This power allows him to essentially become a polymath in a short period of time, as he need only remove the knowledge inherited from someone and transfer it to himself. This power, though greatly effective, is despised by Viktor, who chooses to use it only in certain situations for a few reasons, due to the psychological damage it can have on him. The process of absorbing memories/knowledge from others is slowly, but surely having an impact on him, as he is starting to losing grasp of which memories are his, and which memories belong to others that he's taken. To add-on to the damage, the sheer amount of alien memories he has can cause debilitating headaches, as well as occasional hallucinations as he's struggling to cope with them. Viktor finds that Vampires, specifically those with telepathic powers themselves, are highly resistant, if not invulnerable to his absorption abilities, due to their advanced age and willpower. However, this resistance is nullified should the Vampire give consent and 'open' their mind, so to speak.

Supernatural Condition

Due to his Vampirism, Viktor's natural attributes have increased substantially, his strength, speed, reflexes, durability, agility, and healing factor far above normal humans. Because of this, he is completely immune to disease/illness, extremely resistant to physical injury, and is an extremely dangerous combatant to humans.

Transfiguration

Viktor has limited transfiguration abilities, able to transform himself into a large, black raven at will. This power is typically used for spying on the humans around Transylvania, but he can occasionally be found in raven form around Dracula's castle.

Other: Though a native German citizen, Viktor's years spent in America, coupled with his century-long-life thus far as a Vampire have caused him to lose the majority of his accent, though a hint remains in his voice, and he will occasionally throw German words into his speech. Also, despite his growing misanthropic/cynical views on humanity, Viktor still holds ties to his own youth in the 19th and 20th Century, oftentimes found listening to music from the 1930s/40s/50s, as well as enjoying a good discussion on the politics of those times.

Children of Lord Dracula (4 player high-casual rp)

Definite interest in this. I'll get a CS up ASAP

Once Upon a Time...

*~*Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez, Ghost Shadow, Major Ursa, and Tanderbolt*~*

Launched through the portal, propelled down by the force of gravity, for the few moments he had let go of his hostage. And, quite sudden as their tumble through the portal, it was just as sudden when Knox and the rest of them were being launched out of the hole in the earth.

The shadow man barely caught the flash of green light as him and the rest went aerial. Brown dirt, green grass, dusty tree roots, thick trunks, wide branches, thin leaves, the blue of the sky, the white of the clouds...for a moment, the momentum of their toss up slowed, and the bird song as they flew overhead was almost relaxing. Then, they dropped out of the air.

None of them went higher than tree tops, but the fall would have been hard on the humans, in comparison to Night...right? No, still...Knox felt indescribably human, still. Human...still human...falling wasn't going to be good for him, just had to protect him mortal self. And, heck, though his power over shadows had returned, his powers as the Night were a fraction of what they'd been. On the bright side, his head didn't seem to be scrambled up by his own memories...

Letting himself drop, slamming into the shadow of a tree cast into the dirt and grass, the shadow flowed over him like water...and Knox was launched out and forward through the shadow on the side of another tree. It had been too long since he used just straight shadow trick, but the shadow man easily seemed to grasp it since his return.

Since he was now standing upright, Knox had the honor of being able to catch sight of the rest of them fall, flinching (just barely) when the woman he previously thought to be his wife hit the dirt floor. Not his problem anymore. In contrast, the shadow man couldn't help it when the round man dropped like a sack of potatoes, his chuckles bubbling up from him quietly...as he approached the downed man. Even now, the round man was trying to get up and run like a rat scampering for the nearest hole to slip into.

As the darkness began to reform over him, Knox narrowed his eyes at the fleeing man, and willed the man's shadow to just stop. Casually just walking after him at a leisurely pace, tendrils of darkness dug into the man's shadow behind him as the shadow man finally stood beside him, "And, where are you going?" Asking this in a quietly pleasant tone, setting a hand lightly on the man's shoulder...a particularly sharp tendril shot through the round man's foot.

The fall hurt even she landed well. Snow was glad that she couldn't feel an injuries afterwards, and saw Knox and the mysterious man a few yards away from her. He was still chasing that man, and Snow looked around. The years in the woods had given her a good knowledge of trees, and this was clearly not a forest in Maine. To her, it looked like her old homeland. If she could survey a bit more, she'd have a good chance at figuring out exactly where they were.

Henry was the last to fall through the portal - or at least his clothes were. Every article he had on his person landed in a small heap on the forest ground, though the young man was nowhere to be found.

A small heap seemed to rustle underneath Henry's coat and shirt; as if there was something trapped underneath the garments.

Without warning, the Cheshire Cat's head popped out of the shirt's collar, his trademark grin quite apparent, though his appearance looked different...in place of the rather mangy black cat was a neater, more healthy-looking feline, his black coat replaced by one of smoky gray, purple-pink stripes ran all the way down his body from the ends of his ears to the tip of his tail.

Slinking his way out of the shirt and shaking himself for good measure, Cheshire sat back on his haunches, looking around him as if something was lost or missing. "She fell through the portal first....why isn't she here?" He asked to no-one-in-particular, not disclosing who this 'she' was.

Rising to all four legs, tail stiffened, the Cat began to start disappearing and reappearing in different places at random; each time taking a few moments to sniff about before continuing his nearly-frantic lookaround.

Finally staying still longer than a few seconds as he realized Alice had not been brought to the Enchanted Forest with them, the Cat let his nearly-luminescent eyes land on Knox, who seemed to be interrogating the portly man.

"Of all the miserable, wretched, cowardly creatures that I've had the misfortune of meeting, you are certainly the most spineless of them." The Cat spat hatefully as he approached the duo, his head cocked straight at the portly man, fiery anger burning in his eyes as he continued to speak.

"Where. Is. My. Sister, you cretinous bastard?" He asked with as much venom as he could muster, his fur standing on end as his usually strange grin now looked malicious and predatory. He paid no mind to Knox or Snow during this time, entire focus on the man he recognized as none other than the White Rabbit of Wonderland.

Eyes flicking over to the fluffy, colourful cat, Knox blinked a few times before finally realising that it was speaking...with Henry's angry voice. Almost letting go of the man, he instead tighten his hold after hearing the rest of it, fingers digging into the shoulder, "So you are a thief." It seemed a little bit interesting that, even in his hazy-memory stupor, he had identified correctly.

The larger man winced harshly away from the Cat, though was unable to lift a foot as it had been spiked down onto the ground with his own shadow, courtesy of the towering man standing above him. The tears that had fallen from the inital pain of his own shadow being driven into his foot stained his plump cheeks, but despite the tears; despite the flinching, the man was smiling, his crooked teeth bared in a wide grin, rivaling even that of The Cheshire Cat's.

"Gone." He said simply, his grin never ceasing. "My mistress will be so pleased with me, oh yes, yes she will." The man then started humming to himself, his eyes pulling away from the cat at his feet and instead up into the sky as he watched the clouds roll by.

Eye twitching ever so slightly at 'Gone', though the shadow man was never a friend of Henry's, Knox didn't particularly like what was going on at the moment. Still, this man would be the key to his return, had to be. It would be in his self interest to keep the rotund man within grasp, for now forcing him to spill his secrets would be the most pertinent course of action.

Taking the man's wrist in hand, "How about a way to send us back...?" Knox squeezed hard, before moving his free hand to start plucking out nails from the plump hand, like a young girl does with flowers...

"Back away from him..." The Cat called out in an almost commanding tone as he was surrounded by a cloud of teal-colored smoke, fading away to reveal him once again in human form, having seemingly conjured a new outfit out of thin air to clothe himself.

Henry slowly looked at Knox now, as if waiting for the man to walk away from the portly man; seemingly unaware to the almost...shadowy aura that seemed to surround the former security guard.

Snow did not trust Knox or the man he was now threatening. His dark aura was intimidating but it was not enough to prevent her from speaking up. "Let's find out where exactly we are and why before we do anything else. We can't let him get away, and we will find an appropriate punishment for him, but that will take time. I don't quite trust your judgment enough to leave this solely up to you, Knox." she said, adding emphasis to the last word. "Now, Henry, if you have a moment it would very helpful to explain what is going on."

Irritated by two individuals now heckling him to halt, "Tch." Knox let go of the portly man, and even stepped away, before finally crossing his arms and shooting Henry a pointed look, "The woman indeed has a point. How do you know this thief?"

"This...wretch," Henry began, taking a moment to bridle his anger which threatened to boil over before continuing, "is called the White Rabbit. He hails from my homeworld...Wonderland." Henry finished with a deep sigh, as though it had drained him physically to say the name of his own home.

"He did nothing but make life miserable for all the inhabitants. God forbid one is five minutes late to pay their taxes, am I right Leveret?" Henry ranted, practically spitting the White Rabbit's name venomously, eyes narrowed hatefully. It was plain to see that the two of them had their fair share of less-than-harmonious interactions before.

Snow nodded when she listened to Henry speak. She trusted him to keep a handle on the situation, and figured now would be a good time to scout the area. One could never know what danger lurked in the forest, especially if Regina had left some forces behind. She walked out of sight and into the trees.

"Cheshire Cat is smart, yes he is. Recognized me in this strange new form he did. My Mistress will be most displeased...but-" The White Rabbit paused to giggle. "-but I was not late." He added on with a wider grin yet.

"Late. For. What?" Henry demanded harshly, any semblance of his former cheerfulness gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by steely anger.

"Does the Queen want my sister? Answer me!" He ordered sharply, wasting no time beating around the bush.

The White Rabbit tilted his head thougtfully as he brought his attention back down from the sky and let his beady black eyes land back on Henry.

"Sister? Oh! The Cheshire must mean Alice, surely he must." He began to hum again before starting to sing a soft song to himself. "Alice, come out, don't shout, don't make me pout Alice, come out; where are you?" The White Rabbit giggled once again and rocked back and forth on his rather small feet.

"Wonderland she is, and Wonderland she stays. My Mistress will see to that of course, reward good, loyal Leveret handsomely she will. Cheshire Cat is powerless against my Mistress, Cheshire should not have come but he did OOOH he did! And now my Mistress shall have what she wants."

With ever word coming out of this White Rabbit's mouth, the shadow man could feel his temper rising ever so slightly. With his mouth pressed into a firm line, and his eyes narrowed, Knox shot Henry an impatient look, "We're getting nowhere, fast...if you plan to beat the answers out of him, well, get on with it."

Stepping away from the deplorable thief, the shadow man made a sweeping gesture in a rather sarcastic manner to the man still bound, as if presenting a choice cut of meat to Henry, "As you will, time is of the essence."

When Snow got back from scouting, she saw Knox and Henry still staring at the man. She shot Henry a look that said "are you handling this" before she prepared to share what she found. Before they could speak, she said "Be sure to ask if he knows anything about why everything is ruined here. The nearby village has been ransacked, and you can plumes of smoke for miles along the horizon. It's an ugly sight."

Henry, clearly irritated at Leveret's apparent insanity, turned to look at Snow before speaking again, "Look at him, he's a bumbling wreck...I doubt there's anything we can get out of him...unless..." Henry seemed to stop in mid-thought, his expression turning from exasperation to pensiveness.

Before Henry was allowed to finish his thought, there was a sudden, deafening roar coming from within the destroyed thicket not twenty feet away from them.

The loud roar was enough to cause Henry to immediately stiffen, shifting his attention to the thicket. "Oh no...oh no, no, no, no, no." He said in rapid succession, frantic thoughts overcoming him as, in a split-second he transformed himself back into a cat and immediately began sprinting off in the opposite direction, not even caring to look back at Knox or Snow during this time.

Once he felt himself just focused enough, he teleported up into a tall tree to wait out the battle, confident in his own safety.

Hearing a loud roar, Knox stood still, turning his head automatically in the direction of the sound. Not exactly one to wait around for the thing that produced the roar to just up and appear, especially when his darkness of the night being significantly weakened for whatever reason, Knox let out a frustrated breath and let go of control over the man's shadow. The tendril stuck into the foot whipped out and rejoined the rest of the man's produced shade, just as Knox turned on his heel and jogged over to the nearest tree.

The Ogre barreled through the thicket towards the group, drawn towards the noises they had been making. No tree or shrub was spared as the looming, fifteen-foot creature charged at them, roaring again in his anger, loud enough that the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

The White Rabbit took off immediately after his own shadow released it's hold on his foot. He wasn't quick by any means, but he had watched the transformed cat run at the very first sign of danger, and Leveret wasn't too far behind.

Taking a moment to turn to the direction of where Mary Margaret was standing, "Clear out, unless you actually desire your head being stove-in against the nearest standing tree." With his corner of his mouth twitching up in a most mischevious manner, Knox had a feeling this human woman...would do alright on her own. Offhandedly shooting her a wink, he cupped a hand to the side of his mouth and mouthed the words "good luck" soundlessly, before finally dropping into the very shadow of the tree...

Ogres were bad news, Snow didn't need anyone else to tell her that. This was not a good sign, and she ran away as fast as she could. Henry could teleport, and Knox could hide in the shadows, but she had no resource except her own two legs. Neither of them displayed much bravery or compassion right now. She would talk to Henry about his cowardice, but she hated Knox even more, presumably his shadow powers would have something that let him oppose the ogres. After five years of rest in Storybrooke, it looked like she was on the run again.

The undergrowth of the forest became uprooted with each step the Ogre took, leaving a dead trail of freshly underminded earth behind in it's wake. The cat was too small for his eyes to catch onto, but the round man running towards the tree the cat had climbed up onto was an easy enough target. With another roar, The White Rabbit lost his footing and face planted into the dirt in front of him, just in front of the tree. Whimpering, Leveret rolled over onto his back only to find the Ogre hovering over him; hunched down but still a skyscraper in comparison to The White Rabbit.

Leveret put up his hands in front of his face, as if shielding this way would somehow save his life; his whiney voice muttering incoherencies as he waited for death to overtake him at long last.

"Hey!"

What looked like an armored soldier ran out into the clearing, sword drawn as the figure ran towards Snow but slowed when the figure realized that it wasn't who she was looking for. Still, they needed help and so they picked up the pace again.

"Your friend fell behind and needs our help." Although the figure was covered head to toe in what could be assumed as male armor, the voice was clearly female though Snow wouldn't have time to think on it as the armored female gestured over a hundred yards or so to Leveret shrinking under the imposing figure of the Ogre. "You good with one of these?" The female then asked and hurriedly shrugged a bow and quiver off of her back and tossed it over to Snow.

Snow grabbed the bow and began to pull an arrow out of the quiver. "Plenty good." She needed that Ogre dead as soon as possible, and the rabbit wouldn't be of much help if he was killed. When she had drawn back the bow, she whistled to draw the beast's attention. As soon as it turned its head, she released the arrow. It hit the eye of the Ogre, and the massive creature slumped to the ground while it let out a pained yell. Before going any closer, Snow looked at the person who had handed her the bow.

Once it was clear that the Ogre would not be getting back up, the woman pulled off the armored helmet shielding her face and immediately the woman's long, raven-black hair fell from the top of her head to rest on her shoulders, her brown eyes looking upon Mary Margaret intently, as if studying her.

Rising out of Snow White's shadow, Knox glanced over at the the newcomer. Her appearance reminded him of a certain moon dweller, though definitely not from the same country exactly, past or present. Shrugging off the memory trying to resurface that moment, the shadow man crouched down by the creature, staring at the corpse curiously as he rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. A large bipedal creature...powerfully built, possibly as capable of wielding weapons as it is just generally throwing large projectiles...

"Snow? Snow White?" The woman asked, clearly perplexed and confused as she sheathed her sword and held the helmet fast to her hip.

Many people in the Enchanted Forest recognized her, which could be very troublesome at times. Regina was in Storybroooke now, so that made the world a little safer. Snow wasn't sure, but the woman she talked to looked like a general from a neighboring kingdom that she had heard about, possibly even met before briefly. That made it less likely for her to be working for one of her enemies, but Snow still did not feel relaxed. "That's me. The proper title is more elaborate, but I'll let it slide. Do you know anything about why there's Ogres everywhere?"

The woman immediately bowed to Snow, a strange gesture coming from a woman in this land, though it still held respect.

"We had thought you, along with the rest of the kingdom had perished." She said coming out of her bow. "I still have questions, as I'm sure you do as well, but we can not talk here; it is not safe." The woman said gesturing vaguely oviter to the fallen Ogre, the stench of it's quickly rotting flesh starting to pick up in the light breeze of the evening air.

"There is a refugee camp not far from here, but we must hurry if we are to get there before nightfall."

"Hm...the plot thickens." The Cat's currently disembodied voice commented as he appeared in-between Snow and the manly-woman.

"Impressive work, my dear - wonderful aim." He complimented to Snow in a nonchalant manner, his grin widening as he appeared almost ignorant to the fact she was nearly killed.

"Glad to see you're back, Henry. We'll have a lot to talk about on the way back to camp." Snow stated bitterly before turning to the woman who had lent the bow and arrows. "Regina sent the whole kingdom to a strange land, that's where they are. It's a very large world, with many inventions I've never seen before, but people there have some strange notions. They use paper for money, and they even think that commoners should choose the king. I'd also like to hear what has happened in our absence."

Nodding in agreement to Henry's last statement, Knox let out a low whistle as his eyes quickly scanned the damage on the monster before he stood up and turned to Mary Margaret with a smirk.

"I knew interferance was the incorrect way to go about this, sometimes the balance is maintained in a way I approve..." Slowing towards the end, as if realising what was coming out of his mouth...and absolutely loathing it, his smirk upturned into a deep scowl. It was like his need to maintain the balance that he must, as the Night, was trying to reassert itself.

Feeling restless at this almost immediately, the shadow man crossed his arms and dully stared over at portly man who knelt before the ogre, seemingly in a state of shock. Letting out an impatient sigh, Knox held out a hand and made a grabbing gesture, which was followed by the round man being secured by his own shadow yet again. Wrapping him close like a blanket, cold like chains, Knox cleared his throat loudly and gestured for Henry to make his way over to their prisoner.

"Sighs are longing vocalised, and I so very long to return back to Storybrooke...are you going to continue, or could it possibly be that you want me to take it from here?"

"Look, guys..." The armored female said realizing now that there had been more to Snow White's group than her and Leveret, as a talking cat and a shadow man had since made their presence known to her. "We really should get a move on. Ogre's hunt by sound, it's only a matter of time before the others-"

There was a gutteral rumbling in the distance, like thunder, but to the practiced ear of a warrior, or even an adventurer, they would know that sound to be the roar of an Ogre; miles off yes, but still searching. The female gave the group a respected nod before turning into the opposite direction, leading those who followed back into the forest as the sun finally began to kiss the tops of the trees, scattering an unaturally red sunset across what had once been, in all it's glory, The Enchanted Forest.

Once Upon a Time...

*~*Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez and Ghost Shadow*~*

Nick, (or Mark as he decided to keep calling himself for convenience's sake) bustled around his house in a slightly hurried manner; Mark Dufresne never had children, and as such, he had to try and make his home as kid-friendly as possible. After first changing into an outfit that made him look slightly less than a navvy, he got to work organizing the somewhat bland spare bedroom he kept (even though no one ever visited him).

Finally stopping after his constant moving this-way-and-that, Mark took a moment to scratch his head before looking down at his son, a slightly sad smile on his face. "Sorry it isn't very vibrant, yet. Tomorrow I'll try and get you some posters or toys or....something." He put in a slightly awkward voice, still trying to come to terms with the fact that, in the boy's eyes, he was nothing more than a complete stranger who claimed to be his father.

Mason, who had been seated on Mark's couch upon arrival while the man went about cleaning the rather modest-looking house just blinked at the fireman when he had approached.

"It's okay Mr. Do- uh, Duhfress- Mr. D. I have toys back in my room at home." He said simply letting his bright brown eyes then wander to the bare minimal decorations around the fireman's home. "Mom just bought me a new spy kit, I was wanting to play with it tonight but I guess I can do that tomorrow once I get back home."

Mark couldn't help but look down at his son with saddened eyes - how could he make Mason remember?

"You can call me 'Dad', you know." He said kindly, smiling hollowly in an attempt to defuse any awkwardness, though part of him knew that wasn't possible.

"Why?" Mason asked, a lack of emotion in his voice as he continued to stare at the blank wall in front of him. "You're not my dad..." He blew out a small breath of air from his nose. "...I never had one..."

To say that Mason was affected by the events that had happened on Regina's porch earlier that day had would be an understatement. It had taken Robert nearly an hour to try and calm the boy down enough to be taken to Nick, and since then he hadn't spoken a word until just a few moments ago. Not even Grip, Nick Chopper's German Shephard who had been trying the best part of twenty minutes to nudge the boy with his nose wherever he could reach couldn't pull the boy from the quiet reverie he had slipped into. Mason lifted his gaze from the wall and back to the firefighter, his eyes changing from empty to angry in the blink of an eye.

"Why were you trying to hurt my mom? What did she ever do to you? I want my mom!"

Mark remained silent for a good amount of time, weighing out what would be the best thing to say: how could you convince a child you're his father when he doesn't even think he had one?

In an instant, Mason seemed to become emotional...angry, as if Mark was some villain who 'stole' the boy from his mother. A pang of pain seemed to go through him; after all this time, so many years he had found his son again, and yet, it was as though he was still lost.

"Mason..." Mark began in a comforting tone, crouching down by the couch. "Mayor Mills....Regina isn't your mother. Your real mother was named Catherine, and she died when you were just a lad." Mark tried to explain empathetically, though the words pained him coming out, harsh memories replaying themselves in his mind. Reaching out a hand, he attempted to stroke some stray har out of his son's face; a gesture he had repeated dozens of times before back in Oz.

Mason recoiled back quickly as if Mark's hand were a snake. He jumped up from the couch and took a few steps away, his brown eyes wet from the tears that threatened to fall.

"She is too my mother! You don't know anything about her!" He shouted, his hands balling up into tight fists. "She may have not given birth to me, but she took me in and gave me a home which is more than I can say for anyone else here. She loves me, and I promised to protect her. Please," The tears began to stream down the boys cheeks. "Take me to my mom."

Mark stood up slowly, his face a mixture of empathy and hurt at the same time. "I'm sorry, Son." Was all he managed to say at first, appearing to almost age before his son's eyes, years of guilt and sorrow weighing down on him.

"I wish I could give you what you want, Mason, but I can't." He added; finally realizing that no matter what lengths he went to, the boy would still hate him.

"You're no father." Mason shook his head no angrily, though his voice kept calm. "And even if you were my papa I'd choose Regina. I'll always choose Regina!" Mason stormed past Mark and made his way down the hall, picking a room at random to hide in (which turned out to be Nick's spare bedroom anyway) and slammed the door shut. Muffled sobs could be heard the moment the door was shut followed by a very quick shout of anger and a small 'thud' indicating that something small had either hit the wall, or the floor.

Letting his eyes follow Mason before the boy disappeared in the spare room, Mark chose to merely take a seat in an armchair, letting his son have time to grieve.

Sighing deeply, Mark looked up at the ceiling, letting a few shaky breaths pass, trying to formulate words in his mind.

"I need you, Catherine....now more than ever." Was all he said, letting his eyes now look out in front of him once again. Back home, it seemed that anytime Mason was sad, hurt, or angry, a few comforting words from his wife was all the lad needed - but she was gone, and Mark had no choice but to face this new ordeal alone.

Once Upon a Time...

*~*Collaboration between Ghost Shadow, Guardian Angel Haruki, YoshiSkittlez, and Tanderbolt*~*

Nick wasn't sure how long he had been crying in the middle of the street. All he knew was that the purple cloud he saw spread throughout Storybrooke had passed over him, leaving him seemingly unharmed.

Rubbing his eyes for a few moments to clear away any last remnants of tears, Nick stood up to his feet; looking about his surroundings. Though he never knew Storybrooke, at least not in his original life...he could tell where to go, as though the five years in a lull had imprinted themself to his memory.

Hearing what sounded like mass clamor from the clock tower, Nick made his way down the roads until he found himself at the outskirts of a large gathering of people, voices calling out over each other in a variety of emotions: sadness, joy, rage, confusion, and even fear.

Dr. Whale led the huge crowd to the front of Regina's house, with torches and weapons in hand. He didn't have to say anything, the crowd shouted everything for him, calling for Regina to come out and face justice, or else they would set her house on fire.

Nick pieced through the crowd, trying to recall all his mental faculties; memories crossing over each other as he struggled to determine what was real, fake, old, or new. But one thing stuck out amongst all the others. Mason, his son was here...in Storybrooke. He had spoken to him, rescued him, and he hadn't the faintest idea who the boy was - until now.

In an instant, instinct took the place of reason, and Nick knew he would have to rescue his boy from Regina. Though he had no clue who the Mayor really was, the populace's reaction towards her was...less-than-savory.

Quickly heading away from the town square, Nick's pace hurried into a sprint as he carried himself down the neighborhoods until coming across Regina's large white house, a moderately sized mob already forming outside carrying medieval weapons and torches.

Eyes landing on Dr. Whale, who seemed to be heading up the mob, Nick pushed past the crowded masses until he was within speaking distance of the doctor.

"Whale," Nick began, his voice deathly serious. "Give me an axe." He practically demanded. Nick was going to get his son one way or another; he wouldn't lose him again.

Dr. Whale answered Nick deadly serious, his anger directed at Regina, not at Nick, "Leroy has an extra axe. I'm sure he'll lend it to you,"

The crowd continued shouting, and a couple were even close to Regina's house, ready to drop the torch and set the house on fire.

Nick nodded curtly before turning his attention to the former town janitor, managing to (after a bit of arguing) acquire the spare axe; a tool that now felt so familiar to him, given his past occupation.

Stepping up to the front door, ignoring any premonitions of magical defence, Nick didn't even bother to demand Regina's surrender before lifting the axe up over his head and swinging it down with all the strength he could muster; making a nice-sized gash through the wood.

Yanking the axe out of the hole, Nick raised it once again before bringing it down, sending splinters of wood flying from the impact. He would be able to cleave through the entirety of the door in just a few minutes, leaving only Regina to stand in the way of his son.

The large white door suddenly swung open by a force that hadn't come from the former Mark Dufresne's axe. As the door opened, an ill-timed axe swing came down nearly clipping the ear of the curious-eyed eight-year-old boy who had opened the door. He didn't seem too startled by the blade coming down so quickly and so close to him, only blinking rapidly in succession a few times before tilting his head to the side a bit, staring right up at Nick Chopper and into his eyes.

"Are you here for my mom?"

Upon seeing the door swing open and Mason's bright face appearing before him, Nick suddenly dropped the axe with a loud clatter to the floor, inwardly thanking God he hadn't hit his own son.

"Mason...it's me: Papa." Nick said softly, seeming to ignore the other members of the mob that had gathered as he squatted down to eye-level with his son, a soft expression on his features. And yet, he felt a certain emptiness inside...as though he was unable to feel the full extent of his joy, his love. But why? Waiting to answer this question another time, Nick simply looked into Mason's eyes; gauging for any reaction.

Mason seemed to study the older gentleman's face, his eyes looked concentrated, but everything else about him seemed...completely blank.

"Why do you want to hurt my mom?" He then asked after a prolonged period of silence between the two as the crowd behind Nick Chopper was anything but quiet once they discovered the boy was fine.

Standing to his full height, Nick's expression shifted from one of confused perplexion to dismay as it seemed that his own son didn't recognize him. Opening his mouth to speak, he was suddenly interrupted by Regina's voice from inside.

"Mason!"

The bright eyed boy turned from the man to look upon his mother coming down the stairs, fluffing out her hair as she walked to the door, taking his wrist and pulling him away from the angry mob. She had forgotten all about the injuries she had sustained earlier that morning, coupled with a good makeup job and her blood pumping pure adrenaline didn't even give her reason to remember she should be hospitalized.

"What can I help you with Mr. Dufresne?" Regina asked with a pleasant smile, taking a moment to look past him and at the others crowding around her porch.

Nick's eyes moved from Mason's up to Regina.

"My name is Nick Chopper." He corrected in a serious voice, before touching on the next issue. "What did you do to my son?" He demanded in a tone that bode no indulgence.

"Excuse me? Your son?" Regina rested her hand on her hip, her brown eyes narrowing on him in a cold stare. "My son had no parents, so I took the route any respectful person would and adopted him. It's a solid, legal binding...Chopper..." Regina tilted her head to look on his face thoughtfully, her eyes softening just a bit. "Nick Chopper...must not have been very important back home, name doesn't ring any bells..."

"Mason had two very loving parents, Mayor Mills." Nick began, using her title out of more spite than respectful formality. "He was taken from me, as was his mother-"

"Mason? Do you know this man?" Regina asked, turning to her son and cutting off Nick rather abruptly. The wide eyed boy looked back to Nick and then Regina, shaking his head no.

"Is he really my papa?" He asked Regina.

"Of course not. Real fathers don't abandon their children." Regina replied, folding her arms across her chest, looking back at Nick now with a smirk playing on her red lips.

Nick could only look between the Mayor and his son as they spoke, the comment on fathers never abandoning their children causing tears to sting at his eyes - though they never got further than that. He wanted to yell, to fight, to take his boy back home. But he wouldn't, he couldn't. Something was holding him back, holding him away.

Moving to step off the porch, Nick gave one last, longing look in Mason's direction.

"I'll fight for you, son. I always have." He said lastly before turning his back to the two of them, brushing past the mob with complete indifference; the only thing he felt was his shoulder aching terribly.

Dr. Whale spoke up angrily, raising his weapon, "That smirk isn't going to last forever Regina. You took everything away from us and now-"

"What?" Regina snapped back coldly, stepping further into the arch of the front door so she was more than halfway outside now. "Now you're going to kill me?"

He answered her with a glare "Eventually, but first...you need to suffer,"

Regina finally took the first step out of her home, pushing Dr. Whale in the middle of his chest harshly and forcing him to take a step backwards.

"Listening to you and Chopper over there has been enough suffering for all of us." She replied, pushing on his chest once again to force him off her porch completely.

"That's right." Regina said, now addressing the entire mob, catching the back of Nick Chopper as he pushed through the crowd to walk away, perhaps home to cry or to The Rabbit Hole to drown his sorrows, she could really care less. "Well my dears..." Regina began to raise her arms, willing the magic to flow through her veins. "...here...she...is!" She flattened her palms and watched with amusement as the entire crowd ducked down to escape her wrath...except...except nothing happened. There was no magic, not even a puff of smoke...absolutely nothing.

"SHE'S POWERLESS!!!" A man shouted after he stood up from his ducking position, and another shouted "GET HER!!"

"What?" Regina looked at her hands as if they were a piece of faulty equipment. She didn't understand. How was this possible? Magic had been brought to Storybrooke and yet...she couldn't wield it?

After the man shouted, Dr. Whale and the crowd followed him to Regina. Dr. Whale was the one to grab her wrist and shoved her against a column.

Regina was abruptly reminded of her injuries the moment her back made contact with the stone pillar of her porch, a harsh whimper and wince coming from her as she was unable to surpress it.

"Mom?" Mason called out, worry coming over his young face as he looked upon Dr. Whale with confusion. "What are you doing? Let her go!" The small boy threw himself at Dr. Whale, getting in a lucky shot as his knuckles clipped the side of Dr. Whale's jawline and continued wailing his fists down in a blind rage. "GET THE FUCK OFF MY MOM!"

Dr. Whale shouted in pain when Mason managed to land a hit on his jaw, and continued wailing on him with attacks weaker than the first. The scientist snarled "Back off!" and shoved him into the mob, where he was restrained by the other men.

He then looked back to Regina and he snarled "Now...where were we? Ah, yes," He then grabbed Regina's throat, like a certain woman before him did, and started crushing her windpipe.

"HEY!" A clear voice rang out loud and clear over the crowd, recognition immediately hitting on all ears and the rioting group quieted almost immediately as David Nolan pushed his way through the group and towards Dr. Whale, Sheriff Leland trailing behind him. After he had parted ways with Dr. Stevenson he had gone straight to the Sheriff's office for Robert's help. He had hoped that the Sheriff wouldn't be too busy to lend a hand, but ended up walking in on some sort of post-accidental-gunshot business in another group led by Moe French, the town flourist.

"Now that's enough!" David yelled at the people, gripping onto Whale's wrist harshly and pulling it from Regina's throat. Snow may have been better at talking to large groups, but when he had enough, he made it nice and clear. "This is not the way!"

Dr. Whale looked to David and he snarled "Now, why the bloody hell should I listen to you?" Some of the people in the crowd seemed to agree, echoing the question, while those who knew David remained silent.

"Because no matter what Regina did, it doesn't justify this." David said letting his eyes narrow on Dr. Whale for a brief moment. "We're not murderers here."

Dr. Whale sneered in response to David, "We're not from this world in case you've forgotten,"

What had seemed like a good day for Robert in the morning continued to be terrible. It looked like he would have to deal with a third violent incident in one day, something that was inconcievable in the Storybrooke he remembered. Robert approached Dr. Whale from behind, and said "Doesn't matter what happened, there are rules for you to follow. If you want to remain awake right now, I suggest you calm down." His tone of voice was harsh and growling, more menacing than his usual deadpan.

"We have a lot to figure out, and this isn't the way to do it. Regina's death won't provide any answers. She needs to be locked up...for her safety but more importantly for ours." David directed his attention to the multitude of the crowd, who all seemed to be...content (more or less) with the idea of having Regina locked up.

Regina was the first to look at Robert, her eyes narrowing; daring him to come any closer to her but David was quick to put his own eyes on the sheriff, his own eyes telling him the exact opposite.

Robert stood still, making sure no one resorted to violence. His curse had returned, and he could not arrest Regina even though he wanted to. He was still sheriff, but he was also under Regina's command, and it was impossible for him to work against her. Robert spoke up "You should've brought Graham. I can't do this, much as I want to I can't. I'm still bound by that stupid deal I made, it came back when the magic returned."

Regina's lips turned up into a smirk as David pinched the bridge of his nose, folding one arm over his chest to tuck his hand underneath his armpit. He could hear the crowd behind them growing noisy again. He didn't have time for this; he didn't have time for anything! Snow was gone, he should be spending time trying to figure out how to get her back. Graham was dealing with the small mob that had broken into the Sheriff's station, he couldn't be in two places at once. David released his hold on his nose and stepped up to Robert, reaching his hand to Robert's hip and snatched the cuffs from his belt.

"Then I'll be your hand." David said to Robert with a nod before turning to face Regina. His eyes met The Evil Queen's, neither of them speaking a word but their eyes spoke volumes as Regina held out her wrists and David slapped the cuffs down on her wrists.

Regina looked down at the metal cuffs now constraining her wrists before shooting a sideways glance to her son who had pulled himself from the hold of the men who had been restraining him from before.

"What about Mason? You can't just leave him unattended he needs me."

"Actually, he doesn't." David said giving Regina a rather cheeky grin. Regina's eyes narrowed, confused. "He has a father, after all..." David nodded over to Robert to take the boy to find Mark - Nick...whoever he was now. Mason might not have remembered, but he knew Mark long enough to know that he wouldn't lie about something like this.

Once Upon a Time...

*~*Collaboration between Ghost Shadow, YoshiSkittlez, Major Ursa, Guardian Angel Haruki, and Tanderbolt*~*

The citizens of Storybrooke began to gather in small groups on the streets. The air was filled with cries of joy as one by one, they were reunited with the people lost to them; lost with their memories that had so suddenly come back to them. The small groups began to get larger, and soon it was safe to say that every single resident of Storybrooke was outside, either in the middle of a tear-jerking reunion or out looking for a relative or close friend they had yet to be reunited with.

The masses began migrating closer to the Clock Tower where they found their King and Queen and looked to them for leadership. Among all the mixed emotions put on each and every one of their faces, there was one emotion that all of them wore plainly in unison. Fear. Fear of what had brought them here, fear of what had caused them to lose their memories and live under false identities for five years, fear of not being back where they belonged in The Enchanted Forest, and of course fear of what the haze of thick purple smoke had brought after their memories had been restored.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's get Regina!" Leroy shouted, voicing his opinion above all the other chatter in the growing crowd. His dark eyes happened on Mary Margaret; Snow, his best friend and Queen. He gave her a nod, a simple gesture of understanding; nothing had changed despite what Leroy may have done in Storybrooke, he would forever and always be loyal in the face of his Queen.

"We-we can't! Not without a plan." Archie answered Leroy, surprising himself in the courage he found in his own voice to be heard over the commotion.

Ruby pulled her attention from Snow and Charming to look on Dr. Hopper; Jimminy Cricket. She left her small groups side to bravely face the growing mob and put her hand on Dr. Hopper's shoulder.

"I'm going to need your help. These people are scared and confused, I can offer a sort of help finding lost loved ones if you would open up your office for any counseling these people may need. I can't help but to feel we were the lucky ones when our memories returned."

Dr. Hopper nodded and clutched onto the handle of his umbrella, looking for the courage he had displayed just moments ago. The two shared a soft smile before Ruby left with Archie, arm in arm. In the large thrall of things, Ruby hadn't even been alerted to the pointed scent of the one person she yearned to see; to talk to. Instead, Ruby missed the near seven-foot tall man as she hurried away to make preparations. There was only a moment when Ruby stalled, a portly gentleman brushing against her arm abruptly so quickly, Ruby only caught the backside of the man as he tilted his brown fedora down over his face a bit. Thinking nothing of it as the people of Storybrooke were all granted an instance or two of sheer rudeness, Ruby and Archie continued on.

The man in the fedora grimaced as he pushed past the waitress, his hand holding tight to the thin arm of Sister Charlotte, a nun under the pretenses of Storybrooke, but in actuality a mere child with eyes bursting with curiosity.

"Not so fast mister! I'm just as eager to get to the surprise as you are, but I don't wish to fall onto my face in the process." The dark-haired girl giggled.

"We must hurry miss Alice! We can not be late! Oh, my mistress will be so angry with me if I'm late." A quick look to the pocket watch previously tucked tightly into his breast pocket caused a moment of exclamation. "Oh dear! Oh my! We are late! So so so so late! Hurry miss Alice, we must not keep my mistress waiting!" The man pulled Alice's arm with much urgency as they ducked out of the main streets of the town to head towards the woods. Sausage-like fingers popped the pocket watch back into his breast pocket and then to his trousers where he seemed to be urgently fishing for something.

Just as they were rounding the corner of the last building that would put them out of sight of the growing crowds, Alice's bright eyes happened on a face that made her heart grow light and threaten to fly out of her throat.

"EDRIC! OH EDRIC!" The girl stopped suddenly to wave at her older brother, elated tears threatening to slide down her fair cheeks. The older gentleman she was with, however, growled quietly and grabbed fast onto her arm again, pulling her back onto the course he had set out earlier.

Henry had become nearly overwhelmed with the sheer amount of people that seemed to swell around the clock tower, frantic voices and tearful reunions happening all around him.

His head darted left and right, as there was merely one other person he was looking for amidst the congregation.

Starting to mix faces together after seeing so many gathered at once, a bright, loud voice seemed to call out his name, and he knew instantly who it belonged to.

"Alice?" He called out, swiveling sharply towards the direction the voice came from, just barely managing to catch a glimpse at his sibling on the skirts of the crowd, waving frantically at him.

A beaming smile began to form on his lips until he noticed the man holding onto her arm...the same man he so carelessly dismissed in the newspapers that Ruby first brought his attention to.

Without another word, he left Snow and Charming's side; beginning to push his way through the crowds to reach Alice, ducking and sidestepping with agility that even surprised him. He had waited so long for this moment, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Mary Margaret saw the crowd gathered before her, recognizing almost everyone. She never forgot a face, and from the looks of it most of the enchanted forest was here. It had been years since she had seen a crowd this size, but she held her anxiety in check. She followed Henry, wanting to protect one of the few people she knew that she could trust. He was running after that Alice girl she'd heard him talk about, who always sounded like a good person in his tales of the past.

Heather Jekyll noticed that the crowd grew larger, and the noise grew uncomfortably louder. She heard one of the men in the crowd shout about going after Regina, and she looked to the person who had played the part as the therapist when he spoke up. However, Hopper's words seemed to fall on deaf ears after a voice very familiar to Jekyll shouted above the crowd, "That witch has to pay, NOW! BEFORE she does anything else to us!"

Jekyll muttered under her breath with an irritated groan (and almost rolling her eyes), "Frankenstein..." As the crowd roared in agreement, she marched up to where Frankenstein's voice came from, unaware of Henry's sudden absense, and she called out to him, determined to prevent a panicked mob from forming, "Frankenstein! Victor Frankenstein!".

Frankenstein turned to the familiar voice and he sneered "Ah. Jekyll...so you're here," Jekyll ignored his sneer as she glared at him seriously and she asked him "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Are you out of your mind?!" Frankenstein sneered "We're about to make the witch who did this to us pay! That's what we're doing!"

Jekyll pointed out angrily, "You're riling everyone into a frenzied panic! You're going to get them killed!"
Frankenstein let out a "Tch!" in annoyance at Jekyll's true point. He retorted, "And I'm supposed to listen to a sham of a scientist like you? You're just a woman, Jekyll! A foolish, sentimental woman who has no place in science!"

Jekyll gritted her teeth at Frankenstein, and stood still as the man led a crowd to get torches and head for Regina's house. Jekyll swore under her breath angrily at Frankenstein "God dammit!" She breathed through her nose, trying to calm herself down, and not give Hyde any reason to take over and cause trouble.

In his mind, there was a ruined tower in the middle of the forest. However, it wasn't the clock tower of the town's center, and Knox's mind had led his body astray. Stepping through the woods, unconsciously using a light step that didn't crunch leaves or snap twigs underfoot, his ears caugh--stepping back behind a tree, with a row of them aligned just right, a rounder middle aged man came into view.

From down the path, within his line of sight without Knox being in his, the rounder shape of the man came closer. A young, doe-eyed girl was being tugged along, a sad amount of naivety seemed to pour off her very person. Knox remained silent as he removed his sunglasses, though the girl became a certain kind girl of his past in his eyes, his sharp eyes had instead honed on the man's face.

Beady little eyes of--! All the eyes of--beady eyes darting here and there suspicious. Eyes of a thief. In an instant, Knox wasn't in the present. His mind travelled back in time, no less than two thousand years ago...though the memory wasn't no longer full, without details missing here or there, he remembered the hunt.

Letting them pass without so much a word, so a breath, the tall man ducked around a bare tree and weaved through the low branches poking out from his left right and the spaces above. Feet were careful, cautious, and quick...within moments, neither seen nor heard, he stood ahead of them once more, among the tall trees. With the path of bared dirt leading down and around the tree he stood hidden behind, he waited for the man to approach, feet crunched more heavily on the leaves and broke twigs.

Coming up so close his tree he could hear the man's breathing, a thicker leg tried to step up over a protruding root of the nearest tree, and at the same time the round beady eyed man just about let go of the girl's hand. In an instant, Knox stuck a leg out and kicked the standing thick leg of the man out from under him.

The portly man didn't know what hit him. One moment he was huffing and puffing while receeding deeper into the woods, and the next minute he was flat on his back, weezing for breath and staring up to a rather imposing man who had caused him to lose his footing.

Stepping out of his hiding spot, Knox slowly tilted his head at the man, unblinkingly staring him down with a cold grimace, "You have thieves' eyes, I should fix that."

The eyes of the larger man skipped over Knox to land on the girl, Alice, who had remained standing and watching the scene with a rather curious expression held in her deep eyes. With a small twitch of his nose, the man reached his sausage-like fingers back into his pocket where it had previously been before the fall, the object of which he was after now seeming to fall into his open palm rather than having to dig for it.

"Glad to oblidge, really I am, but there is just one small thing keeping you from doing so." He said closing his hand around the tiny object he had procured from his pocket and with a movement quick for such a large gentleman, tossed the very object he had in his hand to his left. "I'm late."

The bean bounced a good foot or so before it embedded itself into the soft soil of the forest. Immediately the winds began to pick up and the surrounding dirt began to swirl, as if the very ground underneath it was giving way. Green light suddenly shot up from the earth, the dirt surrounding it crumbling down into a steadily growing gaping hole of magic. Alice took a couple tentative steps away from the swirling green vortex, raising her arms up to her eyes to shield them from the flying debris that was getting sucked into the hole.

*~*~*

After most of the crowd left (and Faye's failed attempts to convince the crowd not to listen to Frankenstein), Faye looked around and finally noticed that Henry, Mary, and Knox were missing. She asked out loud "Henry...?"

A voice she knew all too well echoed in her mind in reply, "He's gone hunting for rabbit, Jekyll. You juuuust missed him,"

Jekyll thought to herself silently "Which way did they go?" The doctor felt her head jerk to the right, towards the direction where the forest was and she could hear Hyde sneer in response "That way. Better hurry, Jekyll," The last statement sounded foreboding, and Jekyll took off running in that direction, leaving some people behind to stare at her in a confused manner. She ignored someone asking rudely as she ran "What's eating at her?"

*~*~*

Henry continued his frantic sprint through the crowds, just managing to break through when he caught glimpse of the back of Alice's head as she was being carried off by the round man.

Furrowing his eyebrows distrustfully, Henry hurried off into the woods; coming across the scene of the fat man lying on the ground, looking up at a (somewhat-senile) looking Knox whilst Alice stood off in the distance. Before he could say anything or react, something was thrown out of the portly man's hand, Henry unable to catch a glimpse of what it was before it buried itself into the soil.

Mary Margaret caught up when Henry stopped running, and saw the puzzling scene. The security guard who claimed he was married to her was there, standing over an almost unconscious fat man. She didn't trust him very much to begin with, and this scene didn't reassure her.

The security guard's stare-down was broken, as his hair whipped around his face due to the pick-up of the wind. Eyes slowly moving away from the rotund man on the ground, the man's words rolling and rattling around in his head, and to the source of the bright green light cast upon the forest. His eyes watered from the painful light, but he didn’t avert his gaze for several moments.

The entire environment seemed to shift around the small group, the trees swaying violently as green light erupted around them. Henry was forced to shield his face with his arm, eyes squinted as he struggled to make sense of what was going on, when suddenly, it hit him.

"A portal..." He said, too quiet to be heard amidst the chaos. Immediately, he struggled to make his way over to his sister, hoping to shield her, to keep her out of the portal's reach. Every step felt like a ton of bricks as it seemed that the forces of nature themselves were trying to pull Henry in. "HOLD ON!" He cried out in Alice's direction, hoping she could hear him. Just as he raised his foot to take another step, a particularly violent gust of wind threw him off balance, sending him falling to the ground.

Glancing back down at the man, then at the green portal, then the tree Knox had previously been hiding behind…reached an arm out, he grasped onto a particularly sturdy low-hanging branch. For a moment longer, holding onto the branch rather securely with no difficulties, the man remained silent.

“I’m glad we’ve gotten over this impasse.”

With an impossible strength, Knox ripped the thick limb branch from the tree, swinging it down upon the portly man in a wide arch. The portly man, surprisingly was not harmed as he quickly rolled out of the way, unlike the others unafraid of what the blinding green vortex held for them. There was little time, however as the portal was due to close at any moment if no one jumped in. He was still a great lengths way from the portal himself, but Alice, she was teetering on the edge and looking into the flashes of green with wide interest.

Henry clawed for any bit of stability he could find, burying his hands deep within the dirt as he could feel himself slowly succumbing to the portal's infernal grip. He heard nothing but a ringing madness, the tearing gusts and the roaring of the portal filling his mind; leaving him hardly able to think of a solution.

Blue eyes landing on Alice as she seemed to edge closer to the portal's edge, Henry could do little but watch. "Alice, no!" He cried out, hoping he could grab her attention amidst the noise.

Scrunching up his nose in a rabbit-like fashion as it twitched, the large man raised his arm and let out a small shout as a pulse of what could be considered either wind, or even possibly magic, came from his right palm, being the quiet force that sent Alice toppling over the edge and into the green light. Looking content for the first time since he had arrived in Storybrooke, the man quickly bent down to retrieve his fallen fedora and placed it back onto his balding head. He quickly shot Henry a glance before making his way towards the portal himself and moved to make the jump.

Henry's head quickly shot between Knox and the round man as he struggled to keep himself hoisted, a slight relaxation of the fingers being enough to pull him towards the portal another good foot.

Feeling his feet edge closer and closer to the whirlpool, Henry only had a few moments to see Alice fall in; her physical form seeming to dissipate away into the field.

He didn't say anything, he couldn't - he had failed again. Why was it that every time something good happened, something worse came in to counterbalance it?

Faye ran as fast as she could through the woods, until she caught sight of a light and when she was close enough, she stopped, and gasped as she saw what appeared to be a hole in the ground, shining with green light, and the wind that was coming from the hole was trying to take Henry, Mary Margaret, and Knox. She looked around quickly, trying to find something she could use to help them, but there was nothing. She tried to call to them over the cacophony, "HENRY! KNOX!"

She wanted to move closer but Hyde stopped her, purring and taunting, "I would stay back if I were you. If you get too close, you'll be falling down the rabbit hole as well," Faye swore under her breath, trying to figure out what she could do to help them.

Lifting the branch once again, stumbling a bit with the unknown force of the open portal, Knox looked sidelong at the round man getting up and recovering from his fall. Another much harder fight surfaced in his mind, letting it lead him the large branch was chucked off to the side before the finally outright launching himself at the man.

Putting the guy into a headlock, Knox stepped up with expectations of flat ground…his memory; the one at the very surface had solid dirt. Eyes widening almost comically as he stumbled and fell with the man towards the green lit portal, his mind finally gained the much needed clarity. No prey, no hunt, no justice, no ground...just one big, terrible mistake he’d made.

Henry cocked his head to the side, catching the fat man slowly get up to his feet and put his hat on before Knox pulled him into a headlock, the both of them falling into the portal together.

He had come too far now, too far to let his plans crumble around him. He abandoned his sister once - one time that he regretted for years afterward, and he wasn't going to make that same mistake twice.

With a deep, shaky breath, Henry let his eyes shut tightly before letting go of his anchor, feeling himself get sucked into the portal, where darkness surrounded his vision.

However before Faye could do anything, Henry and Knox fell, causing her eyes to widen and she screamed in fear, "No!" She needed to do something! But...why couldn't she move!? She felt paralyzed! She kept telling her body to move, but it wouldn't heed her. What was she supposed to do?! Why couldn't she do anything?!!

When Henry fell into the portal, Mary Margaret stopped trying to fight against being pulled in. She very well couldn't have allowed Henry to go after the girl on his own, and she wasn't able to offer much resistance anyway. She was further away than he was, but the portal still pulled her in before closing up completely, the ground looking untouched as if they, and the portal, were never there.

Soon enough, Mary Margaret followed down the hole as well, and it closed up after them. Jekyll's body shuddered and her eyes were wide. She spoke up in shock, "No...NOOO!" She then hurried over to the spot and she started to dig at the ground desperately, never caring that she was blemishing her white doctor's coat with the earth, and the dirt was under her nails. She spoke desperately as she dug "No! Nononononono! This can't be happening! GOD DAMN IT! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

She soon gave up on digging, and she remained on her knees, tears pouring down her face, her breath ragged as she tried to keep herself from crying. She not only lost a friend that she made during her time in Storybrooke, but she also lost Henry. Henry was the only person she felt comfortable around in The Enchanted Forest, the only person that she could talk to.

"This is why you should've let me take over, Jekyll. If I was in control now...dear Henry would still be with us," Hyde sneered/taunted. Jekyll said to herself angrily "Shut up! You would've only made things worse...!" She and Hyde spoke no more to each other as Jekyll cried silently.

My Characters

Once Upon A Time - CHARACTER IN STORAGE FOR FUTURE IMPLEMENTATION
--

Name: Hawley Griffin, 'The Invisible Man'

Appearance:

Griffin

The Invisible Man

Height: 6 feet

Wardrobe Style: While still visible, Griffin's attire could only be described as slovenly formal. His typical outfit consists of a frock coat over a (typically wrinkled) dress shirt with a dusted waistcoat and a matching cravat. Along with these are pinstripe pants, and severely under-polished leather shoes. Hawley will occasionally don a trillby hat when going out to more formal events.

After turning completely invisible, Griffin was forced to adjust his wardrobe in order to give himself the illusion of visibility. His new apparel consists of a floor-length leather trench coat (with a shirt and waistcoat underneath), with trousers, leather shoes, thick leather gloves, and a trillby hat. To add onto the illusion, he wrapped bandages around his whole head and neck, and thick goggles over his eyes, while also using fake patches of hair and a fake nose to give the semblance of a man underneath the bandages.

Example Outfit One

Example Outfit Two

Age: 27 (at times appears to be in his mid-to-late thirties)

Affiliation: Formerly Chaotic Good, now Chaotic Evil.

Magical Scientific Capabilities: Having tested an experimental formula on himself for fear of discovery by his landlord, Griffin has become completely invisible to the naked eye, though he is able to give himself a human shape with clothing. Using this ability to his advantage on several occasions, Griffin has become a capable spy; able to sneak around almost anywhere without detection, so long as he remains silent and doesn't disturb any objects.

Weapons: None, though he is known to be able to throw a mean punch, and can use almost any random item as a capable blunt weapon.

Strengths: Griffin was gifted with a genius-level intelligence at a young age, excelling early-on in the fields of science and chemistry. This knowledge has made him a capable scientist, able to (almost) single-handedly develop a formula capable of turning one completely invisible. He has a driven, hardworking personality; able to focus for hours on end with his experiments. Griffin is a good man at heart, doing what he does to help further the fields of science and society with his experiments, the best interests of humanity in mind.

Weaknesses: Despite all his strengths, Griffin has his own set of weaknesses and shortcomings: Firstly, he is short-tempered, and has a difficult time controlling this anger when things don't work the way he wants them do, usually resulting in an object being thrown or smashed. Secondly, he has developed an addiction to the drug cocaine over the years, reaching a point where he needs to take the drug to get up in the morning. (It is speculated that his disheveled appearance and violent temper are side-effects of this habit) Lastly, Griffin has a difficult time interacting with others, due in part to the fact he has trouble feeling empathy or remorse for others. Because of this, he comes across as calloused, rude, or even disrespectful; though not out of any malevolent intention.

Relationships: Though mostly pent-up and introverted, Griffin maintains a close working and friendly relationship with Dr. Heather Jekyll, both of them assisting the other when it comes to any experiments. However, unbeknownst to Dr. Jekyll herself, Griffin has become infatuated with her; equal part in love with and in lust with her. However, he has a hard time coping with these feelings in any way other than drug-induced fantasies, and the occasional ungentlemanly glance.

Brief Bio: Born and raised by single father Frederick Griffin, a former crook and town drunk, the young Hawley had to bear the brunt of his father's reputation growing up. He was verbally abused by his own parent, being called (amongst other things), an 'accident', a 'mistake', and even so far as a 'punishment' when Mr. Griffin was especially intoxicated. Hawley also experienced abuse at school, being bullied constantly by his peers. This mistreatment lead to his own reclusiveness as an adult, and his apathetic, cynical tendencies. After finding he had a gifted interest in science, Hawley decided that he would strive to be better than his father, to earn a name for himself. With this newfound mission in mind, Hawley quickly began applying himself to the fields of science, earning various awards in school, and eventually an invitation to a prestigious medical university. While there, he began to study optical density and light refraction, believing himself to be on the verge of a magnificent scientific discovery. But Hawley's troubles weren't over yet. Feeling uncomfortable under his professor at the university, Hawley chose to leave the school entirely, moving into a dingy apartment to continue his work. Finding himself running out of finances, and his grumpy landlord breathing down his neck, Hawley made the impulsive decision to rob his own father, the older Mr. Griffin subsequently committing suicide - as the money stolen was not his own.

Working tirelessly to finish his experiment, Hawley finally produced a formula that would bend light and reduce the refractive index of physical objects, making them invisible. Initially planning to test the formula on himself, Hawley was rushed as his landlord became more persistent and intrusive as to what his young tenant was doing. Now out of time and soon-to-be-discovered, Hawley took the formula, becoming completely invisible.

Abandoning his clothes to remain undetected, Hawley made sure to set fire to the apartment before leaving, ensuring no trace of his formula would be found.

Wandering the streets cold, invisible, naked, and alone, Hawley was forced to steal clothes from a backstreet theatre shop in order to survive, donning a trenchcoat and hat, as well as binding his head in bandages, with black goggles functioning as eyewear. Now desperately searching to find a cure while slowly losing his own sanity, the Invisible Man is about to be caught up in events bigger than anyone could imagine....

Music Gallery:

Griffin

Once Upon a Time...

Mark slowly walked down the half-empty streets of Storybrooke, hands jammed in his coat pockets as a million thoughts were rushing through his mind. He felt his anger boil once again at Henry, anger that the young man would dare call him by the same name that had been haunting him for nights on end now.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Mark stopped to rub his hands down his face, feeling his shoulder start to flare up worse than usual, most likely caused by his restless sleep coupled with stress.

Reaching inside his coat to grab his pill bottle, Mark let a quiet curse escape his lips as he realized he left them at home in haste to follow Henry to the library. Letting out a deep breath, Mark put a hold on his anger and hastily adjusted his pace to make his way back home. Maybe it was just a reminder he needed some time to relax for a bit; what with all that's been going on, he had little time to himself anymore.

Accompanied only by the sounds of his own breathing, and his heavy shoes on the sidewalk, Mark's house had just come into view when suddenly, an unseen force, wielding the strength of a freight train seemed to crash into him, sending him forcefully to the ground.

Ignoring the searing pain that came from his skinned hands, Mark was about to see who, or what had hit him when a flood of memories all began hitting him at once. Voices began to fill his mind, overlapping each other in a sea of muddled confusion as visions, memories began replaying themselves in front of him. And he knew them...

---

Mark saw himself, dressed in work clothes and holding a woodcutters axe in hand, holding his hand out to shake another's, a friendly smile crossing his bearded face as he introduced himself, "Name's Nick Chopper, it's a pleasure to meet you."

*~*

He saw the woman from his dreams, his wife, Catherine walk up to him, a fond look in her eyes as she caressed his cheek with one hand, the other placed on a rather obvious bump on her stomach. "Just a few more months..." She said to him, her voice ghostly in effect.

*~*

Time seemed to jump past in front of him, as next he was standing inside his small college, looking over his wife who was practically drenched in sweat, a heavy tiredness in her eyes as an unseen man placed something swaddled in blankets into her arms while saying, "It's a boy..."

"A boy..." Mark saw himself say, hushed veneration in his tone as a wide smile broke out on his lips as he looked down at his son, his boy.

"Oh, Nicholas...what are we going to name him?" Catherine asked quietly, looking up at her husband with a soft expression.

Mark saw his expression become curious for a few moments, as if thinking the decision over before answering, "How about Mason...?"

*~*

The scene rapidly switched on him again, the images turning into a blur before landing a few years later, with Mark seeing himself put on a flat cap in preparation for a journey; slinging his axe on his back.

"Papa! Papa!" A young voice called out to Nick Chopper as he turned around to find the source, a short lad, no older than five running up to him. "Mason! I thought I told you to stay with your mother?" Nick reprimanded seriously, though his eyes remained warm and kind.

"I want to go with you..." The boy objected quietly, hugging a homely stuffed dog toy to his chest tightly, as if fearful it might run off.

"Ohhh, I see..." Nick Chopper responded, crouching down so he was at eye-level with his son. "You know you can't come with me, Son...you're *just* not old enough, yet. And I need you here to take care of your mama for me. Do you think you can do that?" He asked patiently, taking time to brush some hair away from the boy's face.

Mason nodded soberly, furiously scrubbing away tears that threatened to stream down his cheeks. "Good. I love you, boy." Nick said as a farewell, kissing Mason on the forehead before rising once again, following a small crew of three others into the woods.

*~*

The scene jumped once more, now taking place a year or two later, the entire population of the village was gathered outside as an intimidating, green-skinned woman walked amongst the villagers; who flinched back in fear at her presence.

"I am in need of a new servant! And one of you diseased cretins will have to do." The woman said cruelly, looking in-between all who had gathered with a sharp eye. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe..." She said quietly, under her breath, though loud enough for those in the crowd to hear.

Finally, she shot a hand out, pointing at a single member of the group. "I want her, bring her to me." The woman called impatiently as Catherine stepped forward, a truly frightened look in her eyes as she kept her head held downwards.

"Yes, you'll do *perfectly*." The green-skinned woman said in a voice that was almost cheery.

"Stay away from her." A voice called out warningly as Nick, himself pushed through the crowd, an angered look in his eyes.

The woman couldn't help but laugh haughtily, pointing to herself mockingly as if to add emphasis to his outrageous statement. "What? You mean me?" She asked, tauntingly. "I don't think so." She added on, her tone becoming more serious now.

Nick, with sudden haste, grabbed his axe and charged at the woman, holding it up to strike. The woman merely smirked as a wave of her hand was enough to freeze Nick in place with magic, an obscure, unnoticeable glow radiating off his axe blade for just a split-second.

"My, my, quite pesky. You know, this could have been very easy...but you had to go and make things complicated." The woman lectured in an almost singsong voice, her eyes kept peeled on Nick. "But don't let me tell you how badly you've erred...let your loved one do it for you." The woman added before promptly plunging her hand into Catherine's chest, a dark grin forming on her lips as she knew that there was absolutely nothing Nick could do but watch the torment.

Catherine made a pained groaning sound as the Witch pulled her heart out of her chest, holding it in her hand like one would a delicate artifact before giving it a sharp squeeze, causing the young woman to fall on her knees in pain; tears streaming down her face. "Please..." She managed to say amidst pained wheezes and short breaths.

"Aww...does it hurt? Here, let me take care of that for you." The woman assured in a calm voice before squeezing Catherine's heart in her hand forcefully, applying more and more pressure until the heart crumbled to sand and dust in the Witch's hand.

A scream rang out from amongst the crowd of still villagers, who could only look on, horrified, as Catherine fell dead; the life fleeing from her body before she could even hit the ground.

"Bring me their next of kin!" The Witch cried out amongst the villagers, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground as a single, unwilling villager brought Mason forward, the boy kicking and screaming all the way as tears poured down his face, calling desperately for his papa to come save him.

"Hmm....well, I'll find some use for you." The Witch said nonchalantly before causing Mason to fall into a deep sleep with a wave of her hand.

Lifting the boy up off the ground in her arms, Zelena took one last moment to point at Catherine's still body on the ground. "Let that be a lesson for you *all*." She warned lastly before climbing on her magic broomstick and flying off into the air...

Nick Chopper felt the spell dissipate off him, but it didn't matter. All he could do was stare at the lifeless body of his wife, his hands cupping his face as he slowly fell to his knees, dropping his axe haphazardly to the ground.

The other villagers watched Nick with varied expressions of guilt, sadness, and pain. Nick slowly crawled over to his wife's body on the ground, letting his hand run over her face to close her eyes, his own landing on the silver heart-shaped locket around her neck...the same one that he bought her in the early days of their marriage.

With gentle hands, Nick unhooked the locket from around Catherine's neck, cupping the jewelry in his hands as he let out his grief...

---

Mark sat silently in the middle of the streets, hunched over as a sense of loss so profound caused him to lose his touch with reality. Hands shaking as tears began to creep down his cheeks, Mark could barely hold onto his composure as memory upon memory, thought upon thought of his loss and his failures crept back into his mind.

His throat tightened painfully, making it difficult to breathe as he finally let loose all the pain and anguish he had been holding in without knowing it. His body racked with choking sobs, Mark let the tears flow as they would, both unable and unwilling to hold them back anymore. Never had he felt so lost, or so alone in his entire life.

A distant sound of thunder seemed to slowly bring him back from the brink of hysteria as Mark wiped the tears from his eyes, seeing a large purple cloud that seemed to sweep through Storybrooke.

Not moving from his spot on the street, Mark closed his red, bloodshot eyes; and let the smoke come as it would...