The Cat sat expectingly outside the castle of Rumpelstiltskin, his tail swishing side to side at the large, obviously unlocked door before him. He lowered his head in a threatening, ‘hunting’ manner as he approached the door, pushing it open with his head as he disappeared from sight.

The main hall was just that, a long hall covered in cobwebs and dust. The rugs were scarcely more than bare threads clung together by grime and dust. The candelabras, unlit and dead, with spider webs strung across their surface were spread awkwardly about the hall. Even the tall chandelier on the ceiling was barely hanging on by a rusted chain, most of the candles that formerly occupied it were missing or broken.

At the end of a hall and to the left in a large, empty room was a simple stool before a spinning wheel, where the castle’s infamous lord, Rumpelstiltskin sat nonchalantly, doing little to pass the time seeming entranced by the spinning of the wheel, the thread coming out on the other side spiraling into a pile of gold in a small basket.

“Oh, Rumpelstiltskin, I summon thee.” The Cat said in a mocking voice as he slowly appeared in front of the spinning wheel, his unsettling grin appearing first, followed by his eyes and head; then very slowly, his body and tail.

“Here’s a riddle for you: You can have me but cannot hold me; Gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?”
The Cat seemed to grin wider before answering. “Trust, Imp. The answer is trust. Trust which you broke that night in the dungeon: trust that I depended on you for. I want another deal.” He growled, his voice snarly and condescending.

Rumpelstilskin, better known throughout the land as 'The Dark One' didn't even so much as glance up at the sudden 'intrusion' on his home. His dead eyes were keen on the thread spinning in front of him on the wheel, his leathery green hands nimble with the delicate material before magically turning into gold at his feet. Once the cat was finished speaking, Rumpelstilskin let out a high-pitched, child-like giggle.

He stood from the stool in front of the spinning wheel, finally letting his eyes fall upon the feline matching the ominious grin of the enchanted cat and squatted down on his haunches, wagging his finger back and forth in front of him in a mocking gesture.

"Ah, ah, ah dearie! I gave you exactly what you wanted! You asked for freedom from your physical bondage and emotional pain of your dearly behead-er, beloved little sister." He chided in a sing-song voice and with another amused giggle rose back up to his full height and turned his back to the cat, pacing away from him a few steps.

"You simply made a deal you didn't quite understand, it's quite common really so I wouldn't feel too bad about it." He turned to face the cat once more, though the distance between them had grown. He outstretched his arms and shrugged with exaggeration. "Oh well!"

The Cat’s grin remained, yet his eyes betrayed a veiled anger that undoubtedly hid beneath the bright, blue orbs as the Imp did little but mock him. The Cat suddenly disappeared from view, appearing suddenly on the stool of Rumpelstilskin’s spinning wheel. A muscle in Rumpelstilskin's cheek twitched seeing the black cat sitting upon his stool, but was otherwise unmoved by the change.

“Though being a feline has its advantages, I miss the prospect of having opposable thumbs. I want another dealll.” He hissed, lengthening the word ‘deal’ as it seemed to hiss from his mouth.

"What do you want?" Rumpelstilskin asked turning out his hands in question, again his voice high and playful, indicating no amount of anger or frustration in his voice.

The Cat tilted his head playfully to one side as he looked directly at the short, green man.

"Rumor has it you're smarter than you look. I'm beginning to think everyone's a chronic liar..." He mocked, looking quite comfortable on Rumpelstilskin's stool.

"Do you ever listen, or just settle for hexing innocent people?" He hissed, the playful tone in his voice replaced by one of anger. "I want my humanity back..." He finally said, swishing his tail from side to side.

Ignoring the cat's snide remarks, Rumpelstilskin approached the stool the feline had made himself comfortable on and picked up the cat as if it were a bag of vile garbage and set it down on the floor, where he then sat back down on the stool.

"I don't usually make deals with animals..." Rumpelstilskin said crossing his thin leg over the other, using his gnarly green hands to hold his knee. "...however, I feel myself in a generous mood today and accept your offer."

Releasing one hand from his knee, he waved it around in a small circle out in front of him, a small swirl of powder blue smoke appearing for just a moment before disappearing, revealing a tiny vial of glimmering blue liquid being held fast in his hand.

"And in return..." Rumplestilskin said taking more interest in looking at the vial than at the cat he was dealing with. "...you will bring someone to me. Someone not of this world." He moved his arm and shook the vial in front of the cat slowly, almost tantalizingly. "Dr. Jekyll, you will find her in a world where there is no magic. You must convince her to return here with you, and to come see me. Do we have a deal?"

"I'll bring your pet back to you." The Cat hissed in response as he slunk back towards the still-open door. "I will come to you when I am finished." He said, beginning to fade from view.

"I know you will." Rumpelstilskin said quietly after The Cat, pressing his fingertips together as an even broader grin spread across his face.

---

The Cat left the unkempt castle, feeling the cool night wind beat against his face as he exited, his tail sticking straight up in a haughty manner as he pitter-pattered down the front steps into the tall, cool grass. It had been some time since he had jumped from one world to the other, getting there and back would be difficult…most likely requiring the hat of the Mad Hatter.

Disregarding this issue for a more pressing time, he lifted one paw up to feel at the heart-shaped key that rested against his chest, bound by a small ribbon that provided enough room to be a necklace without worry of it falling off him.

“Well then, no time to waste.” He said to no-one in particular as he began fading away into thin air once more, starting with the edge of his tail and winding up all the way to his face, where his wide grin and eerie eyes stayed for a few extra moments before disappearing as well. He made the quick side-journey to the Mad Tea Party, an event locked perpetually in time at 6 o' clock.

After much pestering, the Cat was able to procure the hat of the Hatter, the large top hat looking humorously awkward on the Cat's head as he teleported away once again.
The travel in-between worlds was hazy and dangerous, as even one wrong step could scatter himself until he was nothing but an echo. But this time, using the Hat guaranteed success. His landing was less than subtle, crashing into a metal trash can and quickly landing on his feet to hopefully recover his lost dignity.

“Time to jump in time to jump through time – I’m dizzy…” He complained to himself as he began sprinting across the street looking for Dr. Jekyll. It wouldn’t be too difficult to find her, as he still had his wits about him. But not being able to teleport severely limited his movement speed, which he noted mentally with a very small, quick grimace before his mouth twisted into that unsettling grin that never left.

The people who stopped to look at him had what could only be described as surprise on their face as they saw a large black cat with a wide grin, blue eyes, and a top hat bounding down the street. His search was (fortunately) short-lived as the austere mansion of Dr. Heather Jekyll came into view in the distance.

The Cat’s grin seemed to widen a little as he sprinted towards the large house at a blindingly fast speed, even for a cat. Eventually stopping in front of the house, he couldn’t help but meow, irritated that the door was locked.

Dr. Heather Jekyll paced in her laboratory once again. All of the chemicals sat either still, or boiling and bubbling from the heat of the candles underneath the glass containers. She couldn’t sleep again. She was currently trying to think of another way to get rid of Evelyn Hyde. She had tried every chemical compound that wasn’t poisonous and deadly to the human body that she could think of. Nothing worked to help her get rid of Hyde.

She couldn't even sleep right now. She couldn't sleep with the guilt she felt from Hyde's deeds. She had trampled over a little girl, she killed Sir Danvers Carew, and now...Lanyon was dying, all because he saw Hyde switch back to herself. It was too much of a shock for Lanyon, enough to make the poor scientist bedridden sick.

She remembered how she had uttered the words to summon Rumplestiltskin after she had killed Sir Danvers Carew and recalled the story she read to the little girl. She passed off the deed as a meaningless one made out of her own grief and possible madness.

She remained in her own lab, alone and away from the people she cared about in order to protect them. She heard someone knock on the door and she heard Poole's voice call "Lady Heather? I'm setting your dinner right outside of the door, as you requested,"

Heather called back "Thank you, Poole," She listened carefully for Poole's footsteps, making sure that he walked away before she could continue any more experiments, or have any arguments with Hyde.

Prowling about the property, The Cat eventually spotted an open window that, judging by the smell, seemed to be a laboratory.

“Well, that confirms my theory.” He commented with a small ‘shrug’ of his shoulders as he hopped on top of the windowsill, ducking his head to crawl through the open space.

“Hello, Dr. Jekyll.” He greeted in a civil, if not somewhat condescending tone, his tail swishing from side to side as it usually did when he was speaking to others.

Dr. Jekyll had been facing the door, letting out a silent sigh when Poole seemed to have left, when a strange voice suddenly spoke. She turned towards the window to see a cat wearing a top hat instead of a person. She looked befuddled when she saw that it was only a cat...with a strange and startling grin on its face as well. She asked Hyde silently, not even opening her mouth, not giving a single indication that she was communicating silently to another her.

"Hyde...are you responsible for this?! Because this isn't funny,"

Jekyll heard an immediate response from Hyde, seeing her counterpart shrug "Nope. Not this time!"

Jekyll shook her head and went over to her journal and as she wrote, she spoke out loud, "Compound number R263...Symptom number 1: Hallucinations. May take some time for it to fade..."

The Cat tilted his head to the side as he jumped from the window to one of the chemistry tables, narrowly avoiding knocking down beakers and bottles in the process. "Well, I've been called many things before but never a symptom...should I take that as a compliment or insult?" He asked playfully as he got closer to her.

Heather looked towards the cat when it walked across the chemistry table, causing the bottles and beakers to shake and almost fall to the ground. She couldn't help but grit her teeth in anxiety when this was happening. This time she actually saw the cat actually speak, and was even more startled at the fact. She was silent when he asked his question.

"You've been invited by Rumplestiltskin for some kind of affair and I am your escort. I am the Cheshire Cat." He introduced himself with a subtle bow of his head while flamboyantly waving one of his paws out in front of him.

When he mentioned Rumplestiltskin and that he was there to bring her to him, Heather snapped out of her silent stupor and she asked "Wait...so he's real then?! If he is real, then why didn't he come here himself?"

After she had asked her second question, she was a little more suspicious about the situation. She wasn't sure if what she was seeing was real, or just a hallucination.

"You're a scientist, Dr. Please think a *little*." He insulted, his voice not losing its calm, smooth tone as he spoke. "The only reason the Imp would not come himself is because he can't. Most powerful being in the world and he can't make a simple world jump. Folly to me." He said with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Heather caught on to the insult and her startled facial expression melted into an unamused and serious expression. She commented to the cat as she pushed up her glasses "As a scientist, asking questions is an important part of the job. If no one's going to answer, then we'll find out for ourselves,"

"Now then, there's no time to waste." The Cat said nonchalantly as he began tapping one of the glass beakers with a single paw, eyeing it curiously. The Hatter's hat twirled around at the end of his tail where he had put it for the time being.

When the cat tapped at the beaker, she warned "Please don't do that! You'll knock it off of the table."

"I'm a cat, I know when to be gentle." He said in response to her warning, giving the beaker one last tap before leaving it be.

Heather then asked the cat, "How do you intend to get the both of us over there anyway?" With that question, she could surmise that the cat came here the same way it planned on leaving.

"This hat is a *special* hat." He began, sounding as if he was explaining it to a young child. "It accesses a Portal of Doors, allowing us to access the fantasy world we wish to go to. All you have to do is take a leap of faith." He finished, sounding more civil as he flung the hat from the tip of his tail onto another nearby desk. He turned to look at Dr. Jekyll once more, his grin not changing as his eyes stared deep into hers.

Heather looked carefully at the cat as it spoke, and after it spoke, she asked Hyde silently, once again making sure not to give the cat any indication that she was communicating with someone in her head,

"Well, Hyde? Is he...telling the truth?" As she silently asked, she breathed in through her nose discreetly, and soon enough Hyde answered with a sneer,

"Yeah, the cat's telling the truth. But you know...you will NEVER be rid of me Jekyll. Never!"

Heather ignored Hyde and she said with a sigh "Hold on," She went to her journal, ripped out a page, and wrote a brief letter to her friend John Utterson telling him to change her will so that if anything happened to her, everything she owned went to her friends. She went over to a chair that held a cloak, her own top hat, and a cane with a heavy brass curved handle. She placed the cloak around her shoulders, and her top hat on her head and held her cane.

She looked to the cat before looking to the hat. She saw the top part of the hat disappear and the rim grow larger in circumference, into a gaping hole leading to who knows where. She did not doubt that this venture may lead her to death, but she did hope that it would help her find a better life later. With a deep breath, she jumped through the hole, taking that cat's 'leap of faith'.

The Cat offered little more than an approving nod as Dr. Jekyll jumped into the hat, quickly following in her stead. The hat led them to a circular-shaped room with seventeen different doors lined up around them, bordered by red curtains.

"Ah, good. I can already feel my powers returning." The Cat said in an obviously relieved manner. "Before we continue on, though." He began, turning to look at her. "I have a riddle for you." Without waiting for her response, he began.

"What does man love more than life? Fear more than death or mortal strife? What do the poor have, what the rich require, and what contented men desire? What does the miser spend, the spendthrift save, and all men carry to their graves?" He asked, tilting his head while waiting for her response.

Dr. Jekyll landed on her feet, stumbling a bit but kept her balance. She looked at the doors, confused and trying to figure out which one led to the place the cat was trying to lead her towards. However, he stopped and he asked her a riddle. She listened carefully, and she recalled hearing this particular riddle from one of her past dinner parties. Lanyon had given this riddle that had befuddled her in the past.

She answered him, never betraying the pain of the memories she had now, "It's nothing. The answer to your riddle is nothing,"

"Right-o. That's putting your noggin to use." The Cat commended with an approving nod as he scampered towards one of the doors, pushing it open with his head. "Come now. Time is wasting." He said, his snarly attitude returning just as quickly as it had left.

Dr. Jekyll remained stoic as she followed the cat, pushing the door open for herself with her hand. She noticed how the surroundings had changed drastically in comparison to London. She also couldn't help but notice how the cat seemed to be in a sort of foul mood. Was it because of this Rumpelstiltskin that they were going to meet? She figured it would be best to ask.

She asked the cat as she followed "So, Cheshire. You've met Rumpelstiltskin before, is that correct? Care to tell me what he is like? I'd like to know who I'm going to be dealing with ahead of time."

The Cat seemed to stop abruptly as she asked about Rumpelstiltskin. He tensed up, his back arching subtly as if a sudden chill came over him as he turned his head towards her, offsetting his displeased body language with his grin.

"Rumpelstiltskin represents disorder and chaos. I can't tell you what he's like because I don't know." He said, reaching one paw up to feel the key around his neck, almost like a nervous tick.

"But yes - I've worked with him before." He said as a final note before beginning to walk once more.

Heather didn't need Hyde's sense of smell to be able to tell that the cat lied a bit before he conceded to having worked with said man before. She easily could tell that handing his key was a nervous tick. She followed him and she asked, "All I would like to know, Cheshire, is whether this Rumpelstiltskin is reliable or not. Was he reliable when you last worked with him?"

"You're quite curious, Doctor. And that instinct might serve you well - but curiosity can land one in trouble. And you don't have nine lives." He said in an openly unfriendly tone. He wasn't willing to share his entire life story with someone he had just met five minutes ago and he certainly wouldn't tolerate her incessant questioning.

Heather muttered in response to the cat's warning about curiosity, "You do not have to tell me that," She had already gotten into trouble because of her curiosity. She then said to the cat, "Look, I'm only asking so I can make sure that I don't end up in any more trouble than I am already,"

The Cat snickered, an odd gesture for a cat. Though it sounded haughty and cruel, Heather could possibly note a bit of pity in it as well. "You act as though you can deal with Rumpelstiltskin without getting into trouble. You shall learn soon enough." He said, not bothering to look back at her. His tail, usually swishing by now was stiff as it was obvious he was remembering something...something painful.

Heather raised an eyebrow at the cat's voice, noticing how his voice seemed to have a hint of pity amongst its cruelty and haughtiness. She commented dryly and almost sarcastically, "Your confidence is most certainly comforting, Cheshire,"

She then spotted a castle in the distance and she asked "That's where Rumpelstiltskin lives?"

"Yes, currently. No doubt he is awaiting us as we speak." The Cat responded in a neutral manner, sitting back on his haunches for a moment. "Whatever you do, Dr. Jekyll: Watch. Your. Words." He warned her in a completely serious tone as he continued to walk towards the castle. "If there's one thing Rumpelstiltskin enjoys doing aside from committing random cruelties it is manipulating people into manipulating *themselves*." He explained coolly.

Jekyll looked to the cat as he answered and gave her his warning. She committed the warning to memory, knowing that it was important. She immediately began trying to think of how she needed to word her wish without giving Rumpelstiltskin any loopholes he can work with. As she did, she said to Cheshire.

"Thank you for the warning, Cheshire,"

She looked towards the castle, and tilted her top hat forwards so the brim's shadow covered her eyes, and she mumbled under her breath, in return for the cat's warning "If you're near me and you see the slightest change...flee."

"Noted. Whatever you could possibly turn into couldn't catch me." The Cat responded confidentally, referring to his teleportation ability which Dr. Jekyll had not seen yet.
Deciding to have a bit of fun, the Cat began to disappear as he walked; but not instantly, little bits at the time. First his tail disappeared, then his paws, then his legs, his body, and then his head, in slow bits. The ears first, the necklace, whiskers, everything. Until all that remained was a floating pair of eyes and that wide, unsettling grin that bobbed as if still in step.

Jekyll didn't say anything in response to the cat's comment. She wouldn't doubt that the cat would give Hyde a difficult time, but still, there is a chance that Hyde could surprise the both of them.

She then noticed how the cat disappeared until he was only a floating pair of eyes and a grin. She wanted to ask how that was possible, but she knew that the cat most likely won't answer her. She muttered "I'm not even going to ask about that,"

Soon enough they were in front of the doors leading to Rumpelstiltskin's castle.

---

"I must say, I'm rather impressed...cat." A voice from behind the duo said upon their abrupt approach to the castle, the word 'cat' sounding more like the word was somehow poisoned as it left the tongue. Rumpelstilskin had materialized behind them and as they turned to face him, he extended out his arms and took a deep, over-exaggerated bow with his dead eyes never leaving those of Dr. Jekyll.

"R-r-r-rumpelstilskin, at your service!" He said coming out of his bow, using his tongue to roll the 'r' in his name.

"Well, well, well." The Cat commented as he quickly materialized once again into his full form. "It seems you've grown impatient, haven't you Rumpel? I can see that the centuries have not taught you manners." He insulted, his grin looking like one of genuine amusement as opposed to the usual intimidation it inflicted onto others.

Heather Jekyll was startled when a new voice appeared behind her and she whirled to face the stranger. She was almost ready to use her cane, the murder weapon used on Danvers Carew, on the stranger, but when she learned it was Rumpelstiltskin, she relaxed slightly. She sighed silently, trying to calm herself down and not give Hyde any excuse to come out, while the cat insulted Rumpelstiltskin.

She tilted her hat upwards so her blue eyes would be visible as the cat and the stranger spoke with each other.

Coming out of his bow into his full height, Rumpelstilskin waved his hand, the blue content-filled vial materializing in his hand once more.

"Careful dearie, you wouldn't want to upset the one person that can set you free..." He taunted and then, in a sense of mockery, dropped the glass vial purposfully. The vial plummeted down, but some unseen force kept it from hitting the ground below, seeming to hover in mid-air just mere centimeters above the ground. Rumpelstilskin let out a somewhat unsettling giggle as he watched the cat's reaction and the vial disappeared, only to reappear in his hand once more.

"Do not toy with me, Imp. I brought the girl to you. You owe me my humanity back." He hissed, his words practically dripping with venom. His blue eyes narrowed hatefully, turning the eerily amusing grin into a dark sneer.

"Now let's get this over with. I'm overdue for a nap." He complained neutrally, returning to his casual, if not arrogant demeanor.

Rumpelstilskin, for the time being, ignored the girl and squatted down onto his haunches, holding out the vial in front of him.

"Here kitty-kitty." He goaded, using his free hand to wave the cat over to him, his face split into a wide, amused grin.

The Cat, though betrayed by his grin sounded utterly annoyed. "Come a little closer, I'll claw your eyes out." He remarked dryly, slowly pacing over and swiping the vial away in one fluid motion, catching it in his mouth gently as it fell. He dropped it softly to the ground in front of him. "Now, I assume our business is done here?" He asked, though it sounded more in the form of a plea.

Standing up once more, Rumpelstilskin let out yet another giggle to the cat's threat. Even if they were more than just empty words, it would do the cat no good.

"For now, but I expect I'll be seeing you again sometime soon." Rumpelstilskin said putting his hands together, the grin still on his face and a glimmer in his eye that gave away that he knew something that the other two didn't.

"But remember!" He interjected himself. "You still owe me a favor..."

"Yes, unfortunately. No doubt unpleasant. I'll be off now. Have fun torturing innocent souls." The Cat mocked before outright disappearing in a small orange flash that outlined his body for a split moment after his disappearance.

Heather watched the whole exchange, realizing why the cat didn't like Rumpelstiltskin so much and that she may have made a mistake. However, there was no turning back at this point. She just needed to recall what her friend, John Utterson taught her when it came to contracts, and she knew she needed to remember Cheshire's warning and watch what she said. She also needed to make sure Hyde didn't murder this...imp.

With a soft snicker, Rumpelstilskin looked from where The Cat had disappeared and back to Dr. Jekyll.

"Oh don't mind him dearie, he's just a cat." He giggled and began walking towards the grand double doors that led to the entrance of his castle.

"A talking, sentient cat." Heather added dryly.

"I imagine we have business to discuss, yes?" He asked, gesturing with his hand for her to follow him.

When he asked about business, she followed answering him seriously, "There are questions that need to be answered first. About what you are able to do and unable to do. I already know that you can't travel between worlds."

"Yes, I'd imagine that someone from your world would be limited to the information reguarding The Dark One, however, information did indeed find it's way to you."
Rumpelstilskin pointed out, leading Heather from the main entrance of the castle to one of the side rooms usually used for events such as grand balls and parties. He walked to the lone stool that sat out in the middle of the room in front of the spinning wheel and ran his hand gently over the wood, seeming lost in thought for a moment before turning to look back at her.

"There is very little that I can't do dearie, but one thing that you must always remember while here in MY world is that magic...ALWAYS comes at a price."

As Rumpelstiltskin led her through the castle and to the ballroom where the spinning wheel was, she pointed out after he mentioned that information found her.

"Yes, but that information may not be correct. For example, one of the stories about you stated that you died from ripping yourself in half. And yet...here you are!"

Rumpelstilskin's grin fell from his face at the mention of being torn in half and his eyes glanced over to the only window in the room that wasnt covered by a dusty, nailed down curtain. "I may as well have..." He said extremely softly to himself, just barely above a whisper. Shaking his head a bit, he cleared his throat and turned back to Heather, his child-like demeanor back in the way he moved and spoke.

"So, hypothetically speaking, what's the price if you want to get rid of a part of yourself? I want to know before I decide." She heard Hyde shout in her mind in protest, and a headache appeared for Heather. She ignored it however, in favor of paying attention to his answer.

"Get rid of a part of yourself? That's pretty dark dearie, and that answer won't come without a heavy price..." He took a couple steps back towards her before casually walking around her in a small circle, his dead eyes kept on her entirely, seeming to size her up.

"There is something dark about you, dearie, a part of you that resists everything that is you..." He said, continuing to circle around her slowly, speaking out-loud his observations.

Before she could answer his comment, he walked around her, which set her slightly on edge. When he mentioned the dark part of her, and mused out loud, she added knowing full well what that darkness is, "Like a completely different person."

He stopped walking, only facing her directly now just a few feet away, his smile unwavering.

"What would you be prepared to lose to gain back what was once yours?" He asked, his tone more serious than his usual giddyness. But he continued on without waiting for her to answer. "How about...your world...?" He let those words sink in for just a few moments, watching her facial expression with keen interest. "If you agree to stay here in MY world, forever, and serve as my apprentice, you will find the peace you seek." He went on, going into a small giggle fit soon after as if he already knew that he had gotten exactly what it was that HE wanted.

Heather wasn't able to answer his first question when he mentioned losing her world. It was just as she had partially suspected. She had already made things right, made her peace, and said her goodbyes to her friends, before coming here. Of course she'll miss her friends, but at least they'll be safe from her.

She sighed and said "I am prepared to stay here and work as your apprentice."

With a half-laugh and half-giggle, Rumpelstilskin threw up his hands in excitement, his legs slightly bending in an almost jig-like step as he closed the distance between them and extended out his hand for her to shake.

"Are you sure? It's forever dearie..." He said, though he kept his hand out firm for her to shake.

Heather could hear Evelyn scream in protest at this point, as she stretched out her hand and shook Rumpelstiltskin's answering with a serious and unwavering voice, "I'm sure,"

The imp's grin widened, revealing his rotting teeth as he shook her hand in return. "Then the deal is struck."

Thomas woke with a start, as a mouse scurried across the floor of his chambers. He was quite safe, in his tiny bed atop the table, but it still gave him a fright. A mouse could be quite dangerous to one of his size. He could have used his magic girdle to become more human in size, but the transformation required effort on his part to maintain. It certainly helped when courting the ladies of the court, but he could not hold the shape forever.

He stretched and swung himself up to sit on his bed. Next he pulled on his tiny red shirt and trousers. The Queen liked him to look his best. He splashed water from his acorn shell basin, onto his face and combed his hair into some semblance of order. Next he belted on his tiny rapier. It would grow with him, when he transformed, but still would be smaller than a normal sword. He relied on his wits and agility in duels, since he could not match the strength of his opponents. There were plenty of challenges, since he was constantly caught dabbling where he wasn't welcome.

He transformed to enter the corridors of the castle, since his tiny form made him in danger of being stepped on by some baker or soldier. This transformed him into a three foot tall man with shaggy golden hair and gray eyes. He grinned to himself, as he calmly picked the pocket of a passing noble, probably off to court. He pocketed the coins and dropped the purse out a nearby window. He has little doubt that the noble could afford to lose a little pocket change and his dear and doting mother was as poor a church mouse, despite having a chamber in the castle. She would sigh and roll her eyes, when he handed over various pretty items, worried that he would get himself into trouble, but never told him nay. She wasn't worried about his morals as much as his mortality.

Captain Hawkins let the magical map guide his quest letting his dreams of conquering evil drive him. Materializing in the corridors of a castle, Jim appeared with his military pants and blue naval jacket with Captain Flint, his trusty parrot, on his shoulder. Flint let out a squawk and flapped his wings, rubbing his bird belly. "You know, map travel really works up the appetite!" Flint complained. "We can acquire a meal after we've found our man..." Jim promised as he looked down at the magical map again. On the blank parchment the magic ink began dancing while outlining a detailed picture of a short man with shaggy golden hair. Jim looked around not taking long to find his short target. He spotted the three-foot tall dwarf picking pockets. His new recruit was a street rat. Perfect... fate decided to choose a thief for selection. Not that Jim was perfect, he definitely had a rebellious youth, but now he is disciplined and operates within the law of the land.

"Well, there... um, he is" Jim pointed to the extremely short blond.

"Who--The munchkin? That's our hero! What's he going to do, call the Lollypop Guild for us?" Flint laughed.

"Alright, alright. Now be quiet before you offend him," the last thing Jim wanted was to make an enemy out of a potential ally.

"But seriously, what is Goldilocks going to do, warn us that the bed is too soft?!"

"Hush, Flint!" He said squeezing the birds beak before he could say another offensive comment.

Jim followed the short one and approached him with confidence that destiny had chosen this man for a reason.

"Um, excuse me, sir; but I come from another land and I have traveled a great distance to deliver a proposition for you, should you hear me out," Jim smiled, confidently believing that the man would listen to him.

"No, no, NO you stupid girl! You stir clockwise three times before reversing! And you mix in the seaweed while stirring - you don't pause! It's not that hard," sneered Ursula, her excessively plump figure swaying as she paced back and forth on large, squelching tentacles. As Ariel corrected her mistakes, the cauldron began emitting wisps of purple rather than grey. The muttering sea witch moved further away, eyeing Ariel with a mixture of displeasure and delight - true love it had not been, but why correct the girl when she had become so deliciously corrupt?
Ariel's blue eyes flickered with anxiety as she peered into the potion once more, watching the swirling colors blend and separate with each tug of the large spoon. A touch of strangeness cooled the nape of her neck, drawing Ariel's attention downward to the seashell that lay pale between her breasts. It was nearly empty, meaning she'd have to surface soon lest she lose her utterly commonplace voice - a boon, perhaps, that the shell would make all voices a plain female sort rather than keeping a booming male baritone or a child's pure alto. A hint of rage flitted across the mermaid's face as she looked at Ursula, fruitlessly seeking the other seashell that had absorbed her true voice. What Ursula had done with it she never said, though Ariel had slowly decided it had not been lost or bartered away.

The hours of training drained Ariel, all the faster because she didn't naturally pop with magic. Her voice had been her siren's call and it in had been the magic of her people, though she had the secondary ability of appearing monstrous when feeling threatened or angry. Beyond that, she required the frustrating aid of a bracelet and dagger to steal voices and switch from tail to legs - a fact that Ursula assured her was a sign of magical ineptness, though later she'd grudgingly admitted it made it easier for multiple uses. Ariel soon found herself swimming for the shore, needing to seek out another unfortunate soul to steal. The knife was in its sheath, attached to a slightly loose belt that balanced on the tilt of her hips.

Fishing into a small pouch attached to her belt, Ariel pulled out a plain and old looking bracelet. As she felt the rough brush of sand against her tail, she locked it about her wrist and shuddered as a burst of pain engulfed her lower half. The transformation was the most painful part, as if a sword was being thrust through her, with the pins and needles afterwards to remain until she shifted back. Her mouth snapped shut as she lost the ability to breath underwater, pale legs shoving against the sandy floor to propel her head about the surface. Peering cautiously around her, the nude mermaid hurried to the shore and crept to her hiding spot. Shoving a couple rocks aside, she dragged out a rather hefty sack and began to dress in the clothing she'd stolen: fitted grey leggings under a gown of turquoise and silver . It wasn't something she'd have paid for, but it was nice for having been stolen. A plain, worn black cloak and weathered boots made her seem more rustic than the dress otherwise proclaimed.

Dressed, with knife hidden in the folds of her cloak, Ariel struck westward towards a nearby coastal town. It was a amusing, she couldn't help but think, that the knife selected tarnished souls for her to steal the voices from happened to have formed a strong correlation between tarnished souls and sailors. White teeth flashed in a smile that was cold, slightly bitter, and altogether unpleasant. She was sure she'd find equally blackened hearts beyond, but with her time limit exploring so far seemed too risky when there was no reason behind it. Touching the chain, Ariel wondered if she couldn't find that dark fellow and request another deal for something a little more long lasting. But then I'd owe him more - not sure I care to be a slave to his whims any more than I am.

Tossing her head as if to dispel all the troubling thoughts circling round and round her skull, Ariel approached the town who was yet unaware that a predator had been killing their sailors over the past year, due to the high traffic and tendency for many strangers and infrequent lingering. If there was pain lancing through her legs with every step until her stomach felt queasy and her skin swinging violently between fire and ice, the woman showed no outward signs except for a pleasantly curious expression.

The Cat lounged himself on the branch of a tall tree, stretched across his full length lying on his belly. He kept the vial that contained his freedom in one of the larger holes of the trees, where it lay safely nestled. The Cat wished to be fully rested as he would have to get used to being human again.

As the morning sunlight beamed against his face, he opened one eye slowly, narrowing it as he was instantly met with the bright light. He stood on all four legs and stretched lazily, yawning as he did so.

"Today's the day." He said eagerly to himself, his grin widening as he procured the small vial from the hole, staring deeply into it as though it were a long-awaited friend. "Hmm, it appears my patience has rewarded me. Let us hope that impish imbecile does not fool me again." He said warily, eyes narrowing as he remembered what happened the *last* time Rumpelstiltskin had 'helped' him.

Putting a single paw to the key around his neck, the Cat muttered something in a voice just barely above a whisper before popping the top off of the vial with his mouth. Cupping the mouth of the bottle with his jaws, he tilted his head back; letting gravity take the potion down his throat. The liquid tasted vile an bitter, and seemed to have a strange burn as it went down his gullet.

The Cat coughed and hacked, the empty vial toppling from the treetop and shattering on the ground below.

After what seemed like hours, the Cat looked around questioningly. He hadn't felt a change...He teleported down to the ground towards a nearby creek where he looked into, hoping to see a different person looking back at him in his reflection. Instead, he saw what he had always seen: the thin face of the black cat with its frighteningly bizarre grin and bright blue eyes.

"Blast that thrice-damned Imp, he played me for a fool!" The Cat hissed as he paced about, a deep tension seemed to overtake his entire body as his posture was stiff as a board. He would have wept, were he able to. But he was just that: a broken creature unable to do anything but smile and disappear. He had nothing left...it was all gone with those simple few words: "Then it's a deal..."

The Cat's eyes narrowed hatefully. He wasn't going to accept it this time. Sacrificing logic for action he quickly disappeared from the forest. It was time to pay Rumpelstiltskin another, not so pleasant, visit.

>>>"Um, excuse me, sir; but I come from another land and I have a traveled a great distance to deliver a proposition for you, should you hear me out," Jim smiled, confidently believing that the man would listen to him.

Thomas paused, having very nearly been caught pick pocketing the noble and throwing the purse out of the window. For a moment, as he turned and took in the strange uniform, he assumed the worst. He has been seen and not there would be hell to pay. He could play it off as a sort of prank, possibly. When the man launched into a speech about a proposition, he relaxed. It was obvious that this man was an emissary from another court, who had heard of the famous Queen's Dwarf. He was probably here to offer him a position or some such thing. It wouldn't happen though. He had quite a good position at court, as it was, and he did not wish to cross the queen. She was not know for her forgiving nature.

He reached up and took the man's arm. "Well then come with me my good man, and we can discuss it over my morning porridge. I don't mind listening to this proposition of your's, but I can't do it on an empty stomach." He lead his down to the kitchen, and secured a bowl of porridge from one of the portly cooks. The man stared down at him as if he was worthless, as he usually did. Thomas did not like that particular cook much, and decided then and there that a prank was in order. He had to be careful though, because of the big black cat which patrolled the kitchen looking for mice. In is present form, the cat posed little danger to him, but if he sneaked in using his real form, things would be different. This particular prank would take some thought.

Leading the military officer over to a table he sat down with his porridge, clambering up onto the high bench with some difficulty, and then set about to eating. Between bites he pointed at the man with his wooden spoon. "Alright then, speak your mind sir."

Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez and I.

After Rumpelstiltskin stated that the deal was struck, and they had let go of each other's hands from the handshake, Heather asked Rumpelstiltskin with one hand on top of the other on her cane, "So. When do we start the lessons?"

With a wry smile, The Dark One took a step backwards from Heather, clicking his tongue with a slight shake of his head. "Now aren't we the eager one?" He mocked, however the smile on his face indicated that he wouldn't have had it any other way. "We will begin immediately, but first, I want to see what it is you're hiding from me."

Without a moments hesitation, Rumpelstilskin lifted a hand, his fingers closing in on one another as if grasping something in the air. There was a sudden gust of air and Heather flew back against the receiving wall with enough force that the wind had been knocked out of her, the cane she had been gripping onto flying in the opposite direction by an unseen force.

Before Heather Jekyll could warn Rumpelstiltskin against the very idea of meeting Evelyn Hyde, she was suddenly thrown against the wall and an invisible grip was choking the life out of her. She clawed at her throat trying to get whatever was causing such an incident, but she dropped her hands down when she felt nothing was at her throat. She knew that if she didn't do something quick, then Hyde was going to come out. Either that, or the both of them were going to die.

Rumpelstilskin, still with his hand raised, took a couple steps closer to her, his crooked smile never faltering. He squeezed his hand harder, feeling the Doctor's windpipe crushing against his magical grip. He only stopped walking when he was mere inches away from her, his cold, dead eyes staring straight into hers watching the life slowly getting sucked away.

"Tick-tock dearie, now would be a terrible time to hold back." He breathed out in a soft whisper, close enough that she could feel his hot breath on her neck, all the while his eyes never leaving hers; watching...waiting for the change that he knew was coming.

Heather choked out in response "You're making a...huge mistake..." She coughed "She WILL kill you."

Rumpelstilskin sneered. "I doubt that."

She closed her own eyes as though she was getting ready to die. But when she opened her eyes, they were no longer the calm blue that they once were. They were now a dark brown, almost black.

She smirked at Rumpelstiltskin and said menacingly and in the same childish manner Rumpelstiltskin uses, "Hello...Imp!"

"There you are." Rumpelstilskin breathed out a light laugh, appeased at his own handiwork of bringing out the monster that lay hidden underneath Dr. Jekyll and began to loosen his grip around her throat. She then kicked Rumpelstiltskin, with all the strength Hyde could muster catching the Imp off-guard and sent him to the ground. She grabbed Rumpelstiltskin's throat with both of her hands, choking the life out of him. Now she could feel his windpipe against her hands.

She taunted the imp as she tightened her grip standing over him.

"You know, you really should've listened to Heather while you still had her."

Rumpelstilskin looked straight up at the changed woman in front of him, feeling her strong hands closing on his throat tighter and tighter...and yet, he still wore a grin. Enough air was left in his windpipe to let out a slight giggle before his entire being was suddenly covered by a thick blanket of blood red smoke...and then...he was gone...but his giggle resounded throughout the empty room.

When Rumpelstiltskin grinned, Hyde tilted her head and she watched as he was enveloped in smoke and he disappeared. Hyde looked around the empty room as his giggle echoed and she said out loud eerily "You can run...but you can't hide from me,"

She couldn't help but grin at the last memory of the last victim who tried to hide from her before she found them and killed them. She inhaled through her nose, and she walked towards right where Rumpelstiltskin's scent was the strongest. As she walked towards Rumpelstiltskin, she picked up her cane and twirled it, whistling at the thought of killing her prey.

"Nope! Not over there dearie!" Rumpelstilskin's child-like tone sounded from behind Hyde. The cane in her hand disappeared almost immediately, only to reappear in his awaiting hand while she turned to look at him. He didn't hesitate, however, and brought the blunt end of the cane down on her head, sending her onto her back on the floor.

Hyde noticed the cane disappeared, and she turned only to be struck in the head. She didn't give any sign that she was in pain after she was hit, and left sprawled on the ground.

With a giggle and a jump, Rumpelstilskin stood over her, his thin legs on either side of her body with his knees pressing harshly into her ribs. He held the cane tightly, driving the bottom of it into her forehead, slowly feeling the pressure in her skull starting to accumulate.

She was about to get up or throw the imp off of her, but he showed that he had more strength than he appeared to have. She glared at him as he pressed her cane into her forehead, and she grabbed the cane, fighting his strength with her own and tried to lift the cane off of her own head, and push back towards Rumpelstiltskin.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME?" Rumpelstilskin shouted loudly, his child-like demeanor now far gone. He brought up the cane only to change the angle of which he was holding it and brought the top of it down on her head once more.

Hyde managed to catch the brass top of the cane before it touched her head but it still took some of her strength to keep the top from pressing into her forehead. She sneered back at Rumple in response to his shout, "Well to be honest...you look more like prey than a predator."

"NO ONE! NO ONE CAN KILL ME!" He brought down the cane once more on the opposite side of her head before he pulled himself off of her and let the cane fall to the side by her body. He brushed off his tunic and craned his neck until he was rewarded with a small series of cracks. He took a couple backwards steps from her, though pointed a gnarled finger at the woman, his smile now returning.

"But I like your spirit. Now get up."

Hyde took the hit with only a grunt and a low and angry animalistic growl directed towards Rumpelstiltskin. She stood up as he stepped backwards, pointed his finger at her and told her to get up. She glared at him, as she stood.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" He remarked with a smirk. "Now let me talk to the other one, I've seen enough." He said waving his hand at her like he was 'shooing' away a pesky house-fly.

Hyde laughed at Rumpelstiltskin's dismissal. She said to him "I'm not done. Sorry, but Jekyll won't be coming out for a while now that I'm out. You wanted the monster, you got the monster."

"Alright fine." Rumpelstilskin said with a light shrug and conjured up a lavish throne out of thin air. He flapped the tail of his tunic open and sat down gracefully, sinking into the chair comfortably. "I'll wait then."

She stalked closer to Rumpelstiltskin and she said to him with a sneer, "Let me make one thing clear in regards to this deal. You try to do anything to Jekyll, I'll make you pay. Be it through death, or any other method that'll make you suffer."

Rumpelstilskin put a hand over his heart, looking quite taken aback by the threat...if a bit dramatically.

"My dear! Dear...dear..." He snapped his fingers between pauses trying to think, realizing that he never caught the name of the monster before him. "Well whoever you are..." He ended up with, giving up. "My intention is not to hurt your dearly crazed Jekyll, only to help." His tone was sincere, but the crooked smile creeping across his face could have told someone otherwise.

"Besides dearie...I'm more interested...in you..." He added, pointing his finger at her once more.

Hyde a clearly skeptical look on her face, and she inhaled through her nose again before saying "You're actually a terrible liar," She rolled her eyes, and said "You just tried to kill dear Heather in order just to see me, and she didn't do a single thing to you," She didn't mention how he tried to kill Hyde, because she knew that he could say it was self-defense. She ended her statement with a mock pout.

"I knew you'd come out to save her." He jested in reply.

She retorted to his jest, "Only because she and I are one. If one of us dies, so does the other. And I rather quite like living,"

She then crossed her arms and she said "Now. The question is why in the world would you want an apprentice for? And you chose a scientist for the job too."

Rumpelstilskin seemed to mull over his answer before speaking, though when he did the child was out of his tone and instead replaced with that of a mentor.

"I think you're smart enough to gather that my world is different from yours dearie."

Hyde snidely remarked "That much is obvious. Your point?"

Rumpelstilskin stood up from the throne and walked slowly to her, his eyes trained on a single spot on her forehead where he had managed to break the skin with the head of the cane. He raised his hand slowly, his eyes darting to hers for a moment, ensuring she wouldn't try to strangle him to death again. The tip of his fingers brushed against her thick brown hair, pushing it aside a bit to expose the small bleeding wound. Small, purple strands of magic began to circle around his hand, but nothing happened aside from a soft smile appearing on his face.

"Magic does not affect you...and I intend to find out why." He said softly before returning his hand back to his side.

Hyde raised an eyebrow as Rumpelstiltskin examined her wound. She let him, instead of taking the chance to try and kill him again, even though the chance was very tempting. She noticed that he tried to do something, but he commented that magic didn't work. She smirked and said "Sounds like that'll be somewhat handy."

Rumpelstilskin's grin only widened. "Oh you have no idea." With a small smirk, he turned his back to pace away from the monster but only took a few steps before turning back to look at her.

Hyde commented "Nah, I'm pretty sure I have a good idea how handy this is," She knew that he could've used magic on her if not for that strange trait she had.

Rumpelstilskin just shook his head a bit but decided not to press the matter, at least not now.

"You'll let me talk to the other one now..." He said indefinitely; it wasn't a request.

Hyde raised her eyebrows at his serious command, and she said to him "OK. But you'll have an unconscious body on your hands."

She then said "Before I do though. Do you vow not to use your magic to kill, maim, curse, or turn her into anything inanimate or another animal? I'll come back with a bloody vengeance if you don't." She spoke the last statement in a deadly serious tone.

Nothing short of a crazed giggle came from the Imp, almost sounding like he were pleased with her threat.

"Of course dearie." He agreed but took the couple steps back towards her. "However, you must promise me something in return..."

Hyde glared at Rumpelstiltskin and she sneered "And what would that be?" She looked warily as she waited for his answer. She clearly didn't trust Rumpelstiltskin and what he had to say for his payment.

"Your compliance." He said simply and tilted his head to the side ever-so-slightly. "You will leave any time I ask and let your other-self through, and you have my word I will not kill, maim, curse, or turn her into anything inanimate or other animal."

Hyde shrugged and said "Fine," She knew he could have asked for worse, so she wasn't going to complain. She said tauntingly "Catch ya later."

Her brown eyes changed back to blue and as the rest of the changes followed, Jekyll fell to the floor unconscious.

Rumpelstilskin watched as the woman changed and then collapsed onto the floor in front of him. He waited for a few moments, expecting her to get up. When she didn't move, he cautiously walked closer to her and nudged her side with his boot. Still, she didn't even flinch. With somewhat of a frown, Rumpelstilskin waved his hand and a bucket-full of water conjured just above her head, but without the bucket. He released his hand and let the water fall onto the Doctor's face.

Heather gasped sharply as the freezing cold water hit her face, and she sat up. After she did, all of the pain from the wounds Hyde received from Rumpelstiltskin. She groaned with a hiss "Oww...Dammit Hyde!"

She looked up to see Rumpelstiltskin and she glared at him, as she stood up, and ran a hand through her hair.

"You've got quite the friend there." Rumpelstilskin said watching Dr. Jekyll get up without even so much as offering to help her. His eyes moved from hers to the floor where it was now wet and his small smile fell into a frown. "You should clean that up before you make my dinner. I do hate water-stains on my good floor." He let out a slight giggle before turning to leave.

Heather retorted unhappily "Tried to warn you. But you were quite insistent on seeing her," When he mentioned cleaning, she looked at him and she asked confusedly with a raised eyebrow, "What? Aren't I your apprentice? I don't recall signing up to be a house maid."

Rumpelstilskin stopped mid-step and turned to face her slightly.

"Oh? Tell me...apr-r-rentice! WHAT? Exactly...does an apprentice do?" He asked, his voice again child-like and trivial.

Heather sighed, knowing what the answer is, "They work and study under the teacher's instruction." She knew what he probably was going to say next, and she asked "If you're going to say that chores help me learn magic, then you'd best say why that is other than it keeping you happy."

Rumpelstilskin held up a hand to keep her from talking, even going as far as putting a simple spell to keep her mouth shut for the time being.

"You took the deal dearie." He reminded her with a condescending tone. He waved his hands and procured a small bucket with a rag inside of it. "There! Don't say I never gave you anything." He giggled and again turned to walk away, this time reaching the archway of the hallway before turning to look at her once more.

Heather found that she couldn't open her mouth when Rumpelstiltskin reminded her of the deal. She recalled the deal Hyde made with him, and she gave him a light glare silently telling him that he sort of broke his deal with Hyde.

"Oh and I like to have my dinner by sundown, so do be quick about it." His face cracked into another grin before the grand double doors of the room slammed closed, locking her in but at the same time releasing the spell keeping her mouth shut.

After he had gone though, she begrudgingly got to work, with Hyde promising to kill Rumpelstilskin. She made quick work of it as she could, and after she was done headed to the kitchen to make his meal.

The voices of the villagers echoed through her sensitive ears, everything so crisp. Something she was still unable to get used to. The woman wasn’t sure how long it had been. She had watched the days and nights pass by but there was no sure way to tell how long it had been. She wasn’t focused on the days, she was more worried about herself. She tried to move away from the groups that approached her. Her eyes scanning the forest for the cursed pale pink flower that triggered what ever this spell was.

Her dress was tattered as she ran through the tall grass and closely knit trees. Still in her wedding gown, her hair a mess, twigs and leaves stuck in her light brown locks. A voice called out to her right, her head shot in that direction. A man stood atop a hill, pointing towards her he called her name. She looked back in terror and ran without paying attention. The flower wasn’t in her line of sight but it’s unforgettable scent had entered her nostrils. The pain begun, her eyes glowing. She tried to move in the opposite direction of the scent, fighting the pain that was slowly consuming her body. The pain started to fade away, her eyes returning to their normal, more human amber colour.

The voices grew louder, worry starting to overcome the brown haired woman’s expression. Figures began closing in on her, surrounding her, calling her name. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breaths coming in fast. Pushing her body forward she managed to slip passed a few trees that lead to a thicker part of the forest. The villagers continued to call out her name. They approached but the darkness of the woods slowed them down. She continued to run until the sounds of the villagers were distant. Stopping she looked around. Dropping to the ground she cried in her hands.

What was left of her clothes had turned from a pure white to a dirty stained brown and grey. She removed her torn gloves and tossed them aside. Her face was streaked with dirt as she wiped away the tears. Her crying grew more violent, tears flowing down her face. Her body trembled as she looked down at her blood stained hands. How had it happened? Why her? What was the reason behind this? She had killed…not just anyone, Gaston her love, the person that mattered most to her.

What had she ever done to deserve such a curse, Belle had always been kind, never wishing harm upon anyone. Now it was as if all eyes were on her, the lingering feeling of someone constantly watching, as if they knew what she had done…

Entering another town, Klaus - or "Karin", as she now went by - drew her cloak around her a bit tighter. These coastal towns were always so ridiculously cold! It didn't even make sense anymore! Of course, with this form, it shouldn't have been surprising. This skin was too sensitive, that was the problem. That had been the problem for far too long now.

Stupid curse...

Walking the streets, she couldn't help but notice how just the walk she had this morning was enough to tire her out. She would have to rest soon, get a room at one of the inns, maybe she could stop at the local tavern or something. The tavern would likely be a good place to gather information, too, so that would be a definite stop at some point. Maybe she could finally find something she could do about her current situation. It had been so long since she had a lead of any sort.

First things first, though. She needed somewhere to sleep tonight. Sighing, she continued on her way, searching around for an inn. There had to be one somewhere in this town.

The first sense awakening to the sleeping shade was touch...small hopping feet, very slight, over the gnarly chest plate of his armour. Soon it travelled up onto his chin, and soon his forehead.

*hop hop hop*

*hop hop hop*

*HOP HOP HOP*
"CHIRP CHIRP CHIR-"

The small little bird didn't have enough time to let out it's final chirp, when a hand reached up and grasped it in a gnarly gauntlet. Sitting it in the grass, faded fingers of sunlight weren't quite enough to fight back the darkness of his presence. Brushing some loose grass from his hair, he was just about to set his helm back on when he noticed the broken thing in his hand, as it dropped onto the grass noiselessly. It was...a dumb animal, this bird, for sure...to have ignored the darkness of his presence. Against all instinct, ignored the barrenness, how this particular section under the trees was darker than even the deeper parts of this forest, much colder. The limp body breathed the few breaths of a dying songbird, wings folded along it's body...it hadn't even been ready to fly, and now much of it was crushed.

Feeling guilty for this one dumb animal, Night set his helm onto his lap and reached for the broken bird. The small bird didn't move, but its heartbeat did quicken at the return touch of his gauntlet. Its small, yellow chest was moving in and out rapidly now, almost painfully so. This was…good, it had a strong will to live. Bringing it up to his mouth, its heart beating even harder, he breathed a gentle sigh over it. A faint black mist flowed from his mouth and into the bird. He could feel its pulse quicken on his hand…then slow, calm. Would this be the first animal he’d have healed?

Soon, it sprung onto its feet in a lively manner, hopping along his gauntleted hand and up his arm, beginning its little merry song. Or course, his eyes didn’t miss that its own were now glowing a bright red, each of its feathers changing, thinning and pointing out like little blades and razors. Shocked, and yet not really, it flew up into the air just a foot up over his head before an arrow pierced through it and pinned it to the tree just a few feet away. The arrow shone brightly for only a moment, but that was enough to know just who shot the thing.

“Dear friend of mine, how are you this fine day...of mine?” The man stepped out from the brush, clad in fancy white nobility garb, and at the same time…the area in which Night sat seemed brighter that it had previously, but only slightly. The man he knew as Day reached over and plucked the arrow and songbird off the tree, then wrenched the abomination’s body off of his arrow scornfully. The body was held up and away from himself, the golden haired man leaned down and tried his best to white the foul blood off on the taller grass, before speaking up again, “So, my friend…was that another attempt at ‘healing’, now?”

Night knew it wasn’t intentionally asked in a smug manner, but it felt much that way, even if a small creature’s life was involved, “Please, don't spare me the details. What are your theories as to what I had been doing?” Where he sat, he didn’t have to look at his friend, to see his expression or look in his eyes...he didn't care for them right now.

The white clad man returned the now clean arrow back to his silvery quiver, and wagged a finger out, like he was addressing a child, “Tut tut, friend. If you need a healer, you should’ve come to me, I’d have been happy to help!”

“This I know, yes. Even so, I’d like to try and right my own mistakes when I can, even if it only ends...badly." He could almost smirk coldly at this, 'At least I don't have to say I didn't try.', "It didn't matter what happened in the past few minutes, I didn't even have to be here. That bird was already dead.”

Day looked over at his friend Night, now securing his helmet, “Well…I apologise, but I really must be heading off, friend! There is a damsel in distress somewhere nearby, and I really must get going! If you see Sun later today, let her know that the North Wind is still very much interested in courting her. Fair well, friend!” With that, the white clad man stepped through more bushes till he was out of sight…and Night was once more left alone in his darkness. Letting out a louder sigh, he wondered once more why he had bothered waking up in the middle of the morning. Ah, yes, the bird…it had woken him up, and now he wouldn’t be able to return to his slumber because of it. Night got up onto his feet, let out a loud trill of a whistle, before leaning against the side of the tree. In the distance, the sound of his faithful horse’s hoof beats, louder every second.

The short man offered to hear Jim out over his breakfast. "Thank you."

"Oh, boy! I'm starving!" Flinch admitted.

Jim followed the little man all the way to his kitchen where he began to eat his bowl of porridge.

"Yuck! You people have any real food here? Don't tell me, that bowl is either hot, cold, or just right!"

"Silence, Flinch! ...Don't mind my pet. I will make this brief: My name is Captain Jim Hawkins I have traveled the realms and seen a great deal of evil dwelling among us, I sense it upon my noble spirit to conquer any evil that threatens good. I am not much good against dark magic so I cannot defeat the great evil all by myself, so I am gathering a crew of magical beings from across the worlds to assemble together to defeat the threat to the common good. I have a magic map that led me to you, this is no mistake, you have been selected to be the first of my warriors to join the cause. Do you accept?"

The captain waited for a response allowing his words to sink in. He could sense the good in this man, but wasn't sure if he would be taken seriously. He anticipated destiny and hoped fate would not prove him wrong.

Thomas was taken aback at the man's pronouncement. He had never heard the like! Surely to fight darkness was to take on Rumpelstiltskin himself, and that was dangerous. Still, Thomas had little love for the evil one and had a bit of a debt to repay on that account. He also had his mother to think about as well. She was comfortable at court, though she hung out with the servants more than the nobles.

"What about me mother dear? Surely you don't except her to come with us. What's to become of mum if i go away with you? Will you provide her with a cottage and a stipend?" He waited for the response, not at all sure what to do. He longed for adventure and travel, but had never expected such an opportunity to present itself.

Jim chewed on the request for a moment. It did explain why he found the poor man pick-pocket the stranger. Captain Hawkins can most definitely afford to pay for this man's mother, and he seemed to be desperate if he was stealing to survive. It wouldn't just be charity, it would benefit the them all with one more to the party, in this fight against evil. Who knew what this man was capable, but Jim could sense he would be a valuable ally, indeed.

"What next we are going to have to pay for his college fund?" Flinch smacked his wing full of bright feathers against his face.

"Agreed. I can provide your mother with a shelter. I am a wealthy man who can afford to pay for her needs if that means you join us. So what say you, will you join us?" Hawkins offered his hand to the man.

Charming

Charming woke up from a deep sleep, he was dreaming of Snow and his unborn baby girl. Then his dream turned into a nightmare, he saw an ugly scaly green face cackling in the shadows. He heard a creepy childlike voice say "I have your precious Snow, Prince... and you'll never see her again....hehehe!" Charming woke up in a fright sweat running down his face. "Snow!" he looked around in his gold canopy bed, but she wasn't there. "I will find you Snow and my unborn child, you will not be in the hands of the Dark one no longer." Charming roused out of his bed and took a shower and went to get dressed.
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After he was dressed Charming went downstairs to practice his sword fighting. He went into the war room to practice his daily fighting tactics. Today was a special day, it was the day Charming was going to travel to find his wife and unborn child and defeat the dark one. He only had one problem, he needed a crew. Charming may be the strongest non magic user in the Enchanted Forest, but he still needed allies magic users or non magic users. After practice he was going to go see an old buddy, who lived in the Fairy Queen castle, ~maybe he would join my caused.~ Charming thought after slicing a few magic dummies in half. And it doesn't hurt to find some of Snow's old wolf friend and beastly beauty also.

A day before

Mushu smirked, her teeth flashed a bright white over the darkness of the subtle uniform. She stood on one of the top branches of a pine tree, her lithe form made it easy to do such dangerous things. So she waited, still on the branch, focusing-as hard as it was-on entering the void she had come to love. So as a villager pasted, no, a hermit really; in his dingy clothes a simple wool cloth, seemingly fitted with some sort of animal fur to be exact, and even a proper horse, silver in color, with a black mane. The opposite of a palomino really... it seemed fit for riding, but this horse had muscle, it was hardened and looked as if it was an experienced climber. Tough and powerful. Perfect.

She didn't jump, she didn't dare reveal herself. Instead she took a quick dive down, barreling through the air somewhat subtly, still silent. And just before the third to last branch, she caught hold. Swinging and pulling herself up with a small frown, she had managed it, though it made enough noise for the poor hermit to look up. Watching the air above him. She was crouched, pulled up against the rough bark. Her breathing had stopped, and though Cricky made his trademark noise, she wasn't discovered. This cricket will be the death of me, I know it.

Once the hermit was far down the long, cobble road she started as well. Climbing down from the long, steady tree. As soon as she was down she took Cricky out of her pocket, placing him on a leaf and walking on. She was nothing. Making no noise, her footprints were not real, she had no trail and had no one capable of following. It was all too perfect, she was too skilled to be naturally sane, it would have taken years, day after day, pounding her sanity out the door to even think of moving like she did. Almost hovering off the ground.

It took what felt like forever, she moved along with him, never breaking, moving alongside the man yet she was hidden in the brush that was too small for anyone unlike her to make use of. But when he stopped she was on top of him. He went into the forest and she was there, as he looked around she was right behind his back, still unseen in the moonlight that now shadowed the once bright day. And as he felt safe, as he knew there was no one left to bother the poor man. She struck, taking no time at all to finish the man. She snapped his neck, no blood, no fingerprints. No delay, he was gone and no one would know it.

After she had given him a most proper burial she went off, the area she had buried the poor old man was desolated, she had made the smallest of holes in the ground, and she had contorted his limp body to fit him in. It looked nearly untouched, but someone with an eye would know if it were tampered. She had also stolen his clothes, they didn't fit her well but with a few quick adjustments she felt they were fine. And with that she knew, at this moment she had put herself at risk already, the sword was an inch closer to her blackened heart. But she now had a horse, clothing, a small bit of food, but more then anything the horse, that small creature of nature provided a great story. It's build told others she had been through the mountains, and that she had faced the inevitable climates. She was set.

Lifting her small self up she climbed atop the horse, almost crushing Cricky. It could have been any cricket really, but Mushu had quite the feeling that it was none other then the special little fellow that had hopped into her house one night. "As it goes, a cricket means luck, but I think your a little more then luck little one. I think your special. And as long as you live up to your name, you'll have a place with me." With those whispered words she was off, guiding her way through the pass.

Present Day

As Mushu entered the tiny, seemingly rat filled town she smiled. It was much nicer then expected really, the scent of fresh flowers, warm bread, and obvious sweetness overflowed her senses. It was too much to bear, yet at the same time delicate and rather great. It beat living in the dampness of the woods, the pine got worse each long, relentless day. So she carried on, trekking forward as her new horse made its living.

One thing she noted, was that there were guards, armored and wielding their favorite weapons. Ranging from swords to flails, it was more iron and steel then she had seen in most of her life. She had seen entire armories before, full of the weapons that powered Ninjutsu. So, now with a steady hand over the cricket in her pocket she continued forward, not looking nervous but instead she emitted the horrible emotion. It contorted her muscles and made them slightly tense, she felt as if this was a major setup. And without the slightest way of concealing her face, even her weapons, she was screwed. As if someone had already thrown her down in the six foot deep hole, in a wooden box; the poorest excuse of a casket. Screw you Rumpel, if I manage to get my hands on yo-

"Excuse me ma'am, if I could have a moment of your time?" Her thoughts were cut off by the question of a soldier. Mushu jumped, looking down at the heavily armed man, he had a paper in his hand. The crude drawing of a fair young woman. "Do you know this woman? Her name is Belle."
Mushu frowned at that, she showed a true moment of fierce emotion that the guard saw, so straightening Mushu sighed nabbing the paper and shaking her head. "I don't recognize her, but I am deeply sorry for your loss." The soldier could believe the downtrodden words she spoke, and so giving her the parchment sheet he walked forwards.

Mushu looked over the paper, a deep furrowing of her brows set on her usually gentle face. Her maiden was missing, it didn't say she committed a crime. Though it did say she had been missing for a week...an entire week. Marching towards a fortnight. This was horrid, how would she ever find the girl if she was dead already? It wasn't as if this Beauty was still stuck out there. She had either been raped, murdered, or starved. The possibility of her being out there...was a million to one...and so Mushu-in her absolute rage-crumpled up the idiotic page, throwing it in an ignorantly beautiful, pink rose bush.

With that she charged out of the magical town, her beast carrying her with little effort, striding along into the woods. Pine scratched her face and made scars bleed again, it did little to stop her though. She wasn't sure when she would stop. Maybe when she found the body of Belle. Then she would feel relief. Only then...

As soon as the doors had been shut and locked, the same thick, blood-red smoke appeared, covering Rumpelstiltskin as he walked towards the exit of his castle until all that was left was the airy wisps of where the Imp had once been. Really now, the woman cleaning his floor didn’t expect him to be available at all hours of the day now did she? Well, he didn’t care if she did; that wasn’t part of the deal.

When he materialized once more, he was miles from his castle, standing just on the edge of the forest now adorned in a rather ratty looking brown cloak. He flipped the hood up and over his head, letting the long, greasy strands of his hair curtain his face as he stepped into the dark forest without a moment’s hesitation; after all, when you’re The Dark One, what have you to fear?

The journey he took was a familiar one; one he had been taking every day for the past week; a journey that he both looked forward to in anticipation and regretted with all his heart at the same time.

His keen tracking skills led him to a small area that was somewhat new to him; however the subject matter of what was hiding in this thicket of trees he was all but too familiar with. He stood behind a tree, his dead eyes peering out from behind it as they fell upon the very person of his search and just as each time he made this journey and found his target, he felt his heart drop down to his boots.

Why he had thought that today, as opposed to the last seven, would be any easier he wasn’t sure. There was nothing easy about seeing the very product of his jealousy, and there was nothing easy about seeing the ruin he had brought to a truly innocent person’s life.

Rumpelstilskin felt tears brimming to his eyes as his hand started reaching out to the person still a great distance away, wishing with all his heart he could touch her, and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

“Belle…”

It was hardly above a whisper, and yet that simple word rolling off of his tongue hurt him more than any sort of physical pain he had ever endured in his life. A single tear pushed itself from the Imp’s eye and rolled down his cheek, his arm outstretched to her despite her being so far away. Finding his ridiculous hand movement pointless, he returned his hand to his side and simply watched as he had been doing every day since she had fled to the forest.

---

Had it already been an hour? Maybe two? He didn’t know. The only indication that time had passed was that the sun was sitting differently in the sky casting an all new feeling of shadows on the thicket. His tears had dried up long ago but his body had grown numb watching the very beauty that made him question everything he had ever done.
A twig snapped a hundred or so yards away and the Imp was quick to react. A small search party of three or so soldiers were closing in fast on Belle, two with their swords drawn and one with an arrow notched into a bow who took the lead. The bowman called out Belle’s name, having spotted her hiding place and the beauty took off in the run of her life, determined to not be found.

Rumpelstilskin narrowed his eyes as he watched the three men pursue after his beauty, even after she had made it perfectly clear that she wanted to be left alone. Anger began to boil up in his deflated heart and with a snap of his fingers, the Imp was gone, only to materialize in front of the soldiers.

He gave them no time to react, nor did he speak a word. The bowman was sent flying into a tree by an unseen force, his back bending into the wood of the trunk tighter and tighter until the sound of bone snapping finally echoed through the trees and the body fell life-less to the forest floor.

By now the two other soldiers had their wits about them and began to charge The Dark One, however neither of them knew of the dangers they were facing until it was too late. With a puff of purple smoke surrounding the both of them, the soldiers were no longer and instead two small rats scurried over one another in fright.

Rumpelstilskin bent down and picked one of the rats up by the tail and with an amused smirk, removed the tail from the rat sending the now tail-less creature plummeting to the ground, breaking it’s legs upon impact. He hovered his boot over the defenseless creature and sent it pummeling down, grinding hit boot side to side as he felt each and every bone of the tiny creature fracture. He only stopped to watch as the second rat squeaked and squealed and scampered away for his very life to an unknown place deep within the forest. With an unsettling giggle, Rumpelstilskin pocketed the rat tail and disappeared in his puff of blood red smoke, now to appear where Belle had stopped for the moment though this time he took the hiding place of a high-up tree branch, still far enough away from her that she wouldn’t see.

“I’ll look after you Belle, I promise…”

The smell of smoke, alcohol, and unwashed bodies surrounded the tavern, easily dissuading more highly stationed wanderers from entering the pigsty. The Rough Tide was a disgusting shamble of wood, listing to the right in old age with swollen, broken shudders and greasy windows that let out only a dull glow of yellow light. If any paint had ever tried to gloss the place up, it had long been lost to the tempestous weather of the coast. Ariel's face puckered with displeasure, but she knew this would make it easier to find a stained soul within – her knife felt warm against her hip, an assurance that she'd find what she needed and soon. Her blue eyes, once more akin to the warm shallows of a reef, now seemed icy and distant, as if all soft things had been discarded or locked well away. The bright dreams that had been torn from her by the fickle heart of Prince Eric, attached by cords to deeper hopes, strings to fantastic wishes, had been brutally snapped and withered all that they touched.

A slender hand shoved open the inn's door, her body slipping in through the narrow opening she'd created. She entertained removing her cloak, but Ariel knew that anonymity made it easier for her to keep returning for new victims. She slipped to a far corner and settled in for a long night, the hood casting her face into a shadow that seemed a little too dense to be wholly natural. It didn't take long for a group of sailors to come smashing in, obviously already having finished a few bottles of whisky. Their leader was the loudest and even rather handsome, dark of hair with bright blue eyes. The woman's expression hardened at the familiar features, though they graced a stranger's face. She waited until drink had many of the men drowsing or lurching off after the remaining bar wenches. Quietly, Ariel crept up to the lead sailor and sat near him, her face suddenly visible within the cloak's hood.

“You have caught my eye many times tonight,” she murmured in a husky voice – she'd lose it all too soon.

“Have I indeed?” The man's teeth flashed, showing the forefront being white but glimpses of yellow further in. His hand grabbed hers, tugging her closer as he lifted it to his mouth. “Perhaps I should endeavor to keep your attention, then.” His grip tightened as he stood and drew the cloaked woman towards the door. A couple of nearby men hooted, but Ariel kept her face averted for the sake of staying unknown. She granted her impending victim a dazzling smile, dilated pupils showing a hint of excitement. It was all he needed, though perhaps he had little care for permission anyway, given how warm the knife grew at his nearness. Her skin would surely be branded, she couldn't help but think.

Letting the man draw her outside and deep into a dark alley, Ariel's disgusted expression was lost in the shadows as he kept her body snug between his and a brick wall. As he tried to woo her with the sloppiness of a drunk, Ariel wrapped a surprisingly cold hand around the bone handle of her knife and drew it free. His mouth was moistening her throat when she shied away with a girlish giggle. His arms stretched out and drew her back in, eyes too full of sexual expectation to see the movement of her hand and the knife. She drew the blade across his throat, twirling away from his grasp again. The splatter of blood stained her black cloak, but otherwise she was spared the mess. His dying cry was soft, ripped from his throat by the necklace's pendant Ariel stared down at her kill and watched the light leave his surprised eyes, only a shade or two darker than her own. Her legs hurt from the quick dance away from the mess, aching more potently than usual.

Rolling her shoulders, the woman cleaned and sheathed her knife before gritting her teeth against the pain and bending down to grasp the body beneath the arms. She began backpedaling, dragging him along in her wake. She knew a nearby house that was well enough abandoned...

Charming

"Prince!" One of Charming's Royal Knights rode his horse up to Charming as fast as he could. "Prince I have to tell you something urgent." The knights eyes were giant looking around like a scared deer. "Calm down knight... what is the problem and go slow." The knight clamed down and told Charming what he had heard. "Sir... the nobles have been talking about a newcomer not of our world going around asking people to join him in a fight." Charming looked confused "A...fight? What do you mean is he good or evil.?" The knight was so exhausted. "I don't...know yet sir, most people are saying he looks like he could be a friend of Hook's." Charming was outraged. "What do you mean a friend of Hook's!!!" Charming sheath his sword. "Anyone who's a friend of Hook's is an enemy of mines. Where was he last seen knight?" Charming asked the exhausted knight. The knight was frighten, he never seen Charming this mad, other then the time he lost Snow. "He... was headed to the Fairy Queen castle." ~What a coincidence.~ Charming thought, he was just headed that way. "Knights get me my horse... and hurry!"
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Charming was riding his trusty white horse, who was dressed in golden and crystal armor for protection. He was riding thorough the forest with his knights by his side when he saw a dark figure on a horse ride by. ~Who was that...ummm I'll worry about that later.~ Charming was riding for a very long time. The Fairy Queen castle is very far from his Royal Castle. All the way he was wondering what this newcomer wanted and why was he going to the Fairy Queen to get it. He knew his friend Thomas lived with the Fairy Queen, as her Fairy Dwarf so he would know by now what was going on. On his way to the castle he heard a loud bang and saw a swords man hit a tree, and he instantly died. Charming and his knights went to where the man had flew by. When he got to the spot, he was to late. He saw Rumple and Belle on the ground, he was holding her and then in black red smoke he was gone. ~One enemy at a time.~ Charming thought, he still needed more allies before he went after Rumple, he was brave but not stupid.
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Once back on the path he was going, Charming was at the front of the castle. "Thomas it's me Charming let me in!" While he was waiting outside the castle for Thomas, he was wondering what Rumple wanted to do with Belle. ~Why did he save her... and for what reason was he protecting her?~ Charming thought but shook it off, no time for that gotta get into the castle and find out who is this newcomer, and why has he come to the Enchanted Forest.

Thomas thought for a long second and then took the offered hand. "Aye, I'll be joining your crew then. Let's take care of the arrangements for me mum first though, before we take our leave. The old dear will worry about me dearly, but a man has to live his life I always say. i can't be her lad forever."

The mean faced cook approached the table, with a dirty ladle in his hand. 'if ye've had yer fill, shorty, get yer arse oot o' me kitchen. Someone's callin' fer ye at the front gate, though I dinna ken who."

Thomas nodded, determined to make the pig pay, some day, and gestured toward the door. If you will accompany captain, we will see who is calling for me."

Assured that he would be followed he ran through the halls of the castle, making his way to the top of the guard house. One of the guards lifted him up so he could see.

"Ho Charming! It's been months now. Why should I let you in?" He laughed and gestured for the guards to let down the draw bridge, which they did right quick when it became apparent that the dwarf knew the rider below.

Charming

Charming rode up the draw bridge. "It's about time Thomas." Charming saw the newcomer coming behind Thomas running. "Watch out Thomas!" Charming said and he jumped off his horse unsheathe his sword and, he knocked the newcomer to the ground with his sword inches away from his neck. "Are you a friend of the evil Captain Hook!" Charming yelled at the newcomer who looked odd in this world. "Thomas do you know this man, is he a friend or foe?" Still holding his sword to the man's neck waiting for Thomas, or the newcomer to answer him. The newcomer was wearing very weird clothing and a white wig, that made him look like a royal jester or something. He didn't look like a threat but you never know who is friend or foe nowadays.