Shane had drank the last of the beer that was in the fridge. "Shit!" she said, tossing the bottle across the room. She had forgotten to stop by Vons to pick up some more. For the past few days she had been engulfing herself with beer to substitute the pain she had been feeling about Jenny's death.
Even after Jenny had betrayed her by not telling her about the note Molly had left her, she still felt that Jenny didn't deserve to die. Nothing seemed to be working. Her first thought was to get laid, which she had done a number of times. She had even gone out almost every night, but felt like a complete zombie while there.
Nothing seemed to be filling that empty void. She looked over at the picture of Jenny on the coffee table. It was a picture that they had taken of her on her birthday last year. It had been a surprise party and Jenny was absolutely thrilled.
"What would you do Jenny?" Shane asked drearily gazing deep at the picture. A few moments later an idea crossed her mind. Shane remembered how when Jenny had been depressed she went on a road trip.
She ended up coming back with Max. Sure, they aren't together anymore, but they were happy for quite a while. Maybe she needed to get out of L.A. She had always wondered what it'd be like to go on one.
Besides, all of her friends seemed busy mourning in their own ways. Bette buried herself in her work, while Helena went on an over the top spending spree. God only knows what the others were up to.
Shane smiled to herself, knowing what she had to do. Gazing out the window at the tall palm trees and beautiful west coast sun set. Shane walked into her room, pulling out an atlas. Turning to the page with the U.S map, she shut her eyes.
"One…two…three." She whispered, letting her finger land on any place in the map. When she opened her eyes she saw that her finger had landed on a town called "Storybrooke", located in Maine.
Her lips fell into a deep frown, not really wanting to travel to the east coast. She laughed to herself, shaking her head. Staring up at the ceiling. "Fuck it." She cried, chuckling to herself. She walked over to the bed, pulling the suitcase from under it.
Even though she had decided that the open road would be the best option, she would still miss L.A. Her friends, the big city, the hills, palm trees and perfect weather. California was famous for not only their stars, but their beautiful sunsets.
Piling clothes from her drawer into the suitcase, she started to wonder if she was making a mistake. Was a cross country road trip really what she needed? She looked down at her pajamas realizing that she needed to change. She ended up throwing on a V neck, skinny jeans, a beanie, and her biker boots.
When she finally got done packing, she took one last look at the bedroom. She remembered how a couple of weeks ago, she and Jenny had made love on her bed. It was one of the best things she had ever felt in her life. But death and betrayal had taken that away from her.
Not wanting to remember anymore, she quickly grabbed the suitcase, making a hasty exit from the house.
Time skip….
For the entire road trip there, Shane hadn't even bothered to stop at a hotel. Whenever she felt tired, she'd pull over to the side of the road. The further away from the West she drove, the more she noticed that the land became flatter and flatter. She was already not liking this, but still felt drawn to continue this trip.
As she drove through the conservative Midwestern towns, her mind began to race. She wasn't usually worried about homophobes, but after everything that she had been through lately, homophobia wasn't something she wanted added on her plate.
She had not heard much about Maine, but she was hoping that it would be at least half as open minded as the California was. She was used to getting strange stares from people that didn't approve of her androgynous look. On the other hand, it had scored her hundreds of dates with hot women. She had no regrets.
Time skip….
While driving through a dark forest-like area, Shane begins to feel sleepy. She turns on the radio, hoping to find something decent. She eventually settles on a classic rock station. A large bolt of lightning illuminate the sky. "Shit!" Shane mutters to herself.
A loud clap of thunder booms soon after, following by pouring rain. She turns on her windshield wipers, barely able to see the road ahead of her. "Great! I'm in a thunderstorm and have no idea of where the fuck I am." she thought.
The storm raged on as she drove. Suddenly she spotted something….a sign. Lightning flashed giving her a better view of the words written across it. "Welcome to Storybrooke" A light smirk appeared across her face as she drove pass the sign. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world at that moment.
She passed by a few old buildings and statues she assumed were historical landmarks. This was completely different than what she'd see in L.A. She heard her cellphone go off in the seat beside her.
Realizing that she had not talked to any of her friends back in L.A. she decided to pull over to the side of the road to answer it.
"Hello?" she asked into the phone. "Shane!" an all too familiar British accent called from the device. "Oh Helena…hey, how are you?" "Good! I just thought I stop by, but noticed that you weren't there. Are you at the Planet?"
Helena usually didn't call Shane. However, Shane was happy to hear the sound of her voice after the distance that the friends had been keeping between each other lately. It had gotten kind of lonely. And sleeping with other women, didn't seem to fill that void.
"No, I'm not actually." Shane replied. Concerned, Helena asked her what's wrong and Shane told her about the road trip she had decided to take. They talked for a few more minutes. "Come back soon Shane. It's bloody awkward here with everyone being so distant." Helena admitted.
"Yeah, it has been." Shane confessed. After a moment of awkward silence, they said their goodbyes and hung up. Shane let out a long sigh, turning off the car and resting her head on the seat.
She closed her eyes and began listening to the pitter patter of the rain against the car. She felt somewhat calm. She began to drift off to sleep, when she suddenly heard a knocking sound against her window.
Feeling slightly annoyed, she looked over to see an elderly woman's face looking into her car. "What the fuck?" Shane said raising an eyebrow. She gazed at the elderly woman strangely. She motioned for her to lower her window.
Hesitating for a few moments, Shane eventually lowered it. The veil between her car and the raw noise of the thunderstorm had been dropped. "Are you looking for something to eat?" the elderly woman asked.
"Oh no, not rea-" Shane began as the sound of her stomach said otherwise. She frowned, placing her hand on it. The elderly woman smiled, noticing this. "That's my restaurant." She said pointing toward the building behind her.
Shane took a glance at the building through the front window, seeing the words "Granny's Diner" lit up in neon blue. Shane stared at it for a while, starting to feel dizzy from staring at it too long. She gave it some more thought, eventually deciding to go in.
When Shane got inside, she sat down at the bar taking in her surroundings. "May I have a menu?" she asked the elderly woman who seemed to be staring at her for longer than she felt comfortable with. "I can make anything. Name it, and it's done."
"Uhh fuck, I don't know…uhh a cheeseburger and some fries maybe?" Shane said, instantly regretting the language she used in front of the woman. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—" "It's alright. My granddaughter has been having a few slip ups of her own lately." the elderly woman interrupted.
Shane felt somewhat relieved. She suddenly noticed that the woman was eyeing her attire curiously. "Is there something wrong?" Shane asked, feeling uncomfortable again. "You dress like one of those rock stars my daughter listens to on the television." She said.
Shane laughed, not knowing how else to respond to her comment. After a few moments, the elderly woman disappeared into the kitchen. Shane looked around the empty restaurant.
Her mind begin to roam as she thought about wondered Storybrooke had to offer. From what she seen, it really didn't seem like that big of a deal. However, that all changed in a matter of minutes.
"I'll bring it to them!" an unfamiliar voice yelled from the kitchen. In a matter of seconds, out came the most beautiful woman that Shane had ever seen. Long brown hair hung down her shoulders along with a few dark red strands.
She wore a short two piece outfit that revealed her flat stomach. The length of her skirt hung way above her knees. Enough to make Shane's mouth water. When their eyes met, Shane's hazel eyes locked with the cute waitress's green ones.
The girl's name tag read "Ruby." Ruby flashed Shane a flirtatious smile followed by a wink. "Well hey there, stranger." She said in a lascivious tone, placing her food down on the table. "Hi.." Shane managed to get out, taking in the beauty of the girl before her.
She hardly noticed the food in front of her. She admired the girl's alluring frame. Appreciating the tightness of her top. "What's your name?" Ruby asked, leaning in toward Shane. By now she was able to take in the girl's scent, which smelled of sweet vanilla. Shane took this as the perfect opportunity to use her spot on flirting skills, which she hadn't used since she'd been in L.A.
Shane had begun to rethink her reason for coming to Storybrooke. Perhaps there was more to the reason, than it just being the fact that her finger landed on it. As she gazed into the girl's eyes, her heart began to race.