Title: Red Moon Rising
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairing: Emma Swan / Regina Mills / Ruby Lucas
Warnings: Angst! Blood, mind control via moon eclipse, some mildly graphic violence and adult language.
AN: This here is my somewhat delayed submission for the Red Swan Week. The theme is 'Bitten' and the story is not at all what you would expect. It does include lots and lots of angst. A fair bit of fluff to get you to lower your defenses. And then some angst on top of that. Again, I have to reiterate: there are no character deaths in this fic.
Also, I had not had enough time to proof-read it as thoroughly as I would have liked, so I apologize for any typos or inconsistencies. Enjoy!
. . .
Red Moon Rising
. . .
Ruby was sprawled sobbing on the messy heap of laundry in the corner of the closet. The blinds and curtains in her old room above Granny's were closed tight putting the room in the perpetual twilight despite the rising sun outside. The doors of the closet were half closed too making the small space below the rack of hanging clothes a small and closed off hidy-hole. Ruby herself was curled in a small ball, her long legs pulled up to her front and one hand clutching her arm close to her chest. She was slumped in a uncomfortable position against the back and side walls, not quite lying down and not really sitting up. Her hair was mussed and wild, needing a wash, her clothes muddy and ripped in places. Not that she cared. Her face shone with tears. The smudged mess of what was once carefully applied makeup was smeared over her features along with some red splotches along her jaw. Those had already dried up some so she wasn't able to rub them away and nothing would make her go to the washroom now. No, she couldn't look at herself in the mirror, not even to wash up. Not even to get the blood off her face.
The tears rolled down her cheeks leaving more traces despite the fact that her mascara had already been washed or rubbed off for the most part. Ruby sobbed into one of her hands, her breath hitching until it broke in a strangled cry. She could not stop bawling her heart out, nor did she want to. Long ago she knew this was going to happen again. She knew it would. But then someone had convinced her it was just fear talking and she was supposed to live her life.
She didn't know how long she spend in here, how long it had been since the unthinkable happened. By the tiny flecks of sunshine that managed to seep through the layers of protection in the windows, she could surmise it was past noon already. That didn't matter. Nothing mattered from now on. She had destroyed her future, her happiness. Hell, even the tidbit about how Ruby wasn't in complete control of what she had done didn't matter. Her life was over. Ruby chuckled darkly through the clenched teeth to keep the wailing down in her throat. She was on borrowed time, indeed. And now was the time to pay up.
The abrupt banging on the door made her jump and close further up on herself. Ruby shook her head as if trying to wish the insistent banging away. She didn't want to see anyone, she didn't want to hear or know anymore than what she already knew. All she wanted to be was left alone and hide.
"Go–" her voice hitched on the first try, her throat hoarse from crying, but she pushed through and shouted in barely recognizable rasp, "Go away, Granny! I don't want to talk, just leave me alone!"
The banging did not stop. It increased in urgency, the old door creaking at the force. Ruby opened her mouth to tell her grandmother to go to hell in no uncertain terms, but the words died on her lips as a completely different voice answered from the other side of the door. A voice she did not expected to hear, not anymore. Not ever.
"Ruby! Open up! Ruby, dammit! Just open the door!"
"Emma..." whispered Ruby, the shock throwing her out of hysterical sobbing. Her eyes widened in fear. This was it.
"Ruby, I know you're there! It's me, come on! Open up!"
The door shook violently as if Emma hit it with her leg, and she probably did, but it remained closed. Ruby cloud hear heavy breathing, the frantic beat of Emma's heart. This was what she was going to hear before the end. Emma's voice and the beat of her heart. Not all that bad for her last sounds.
"Well, if you wanna be stubborn..." growled Emma.
The door glowed white, it shook and shuddered and then... it shattered under the burst of pure white magic. The large pieces creaked and hung on partially broken hinges. The deadbolt clattered to the floor, which had been showered with smaller splitters.
Ruby gulped. She clutched her hands together in front of her chest, the tears were still streaming down her cheeks, but she wasn't shaking with uncontrollable sobs anymore. Wide-eyed she watched as Emma emerged through the broken door. Magic was surrounding her, more visible to Ruby since she could sense it so much clearer now. Emma's long golden hair had been billowing behind her, but now it slowly settled over her shoulders in waves of long, easy curls. The white glow seeped out of her hands getting dimmer, yet her whole posture was doused in power. Emma smelled of it, the pressure of her magic remained palpable in the air, Ruby could taste it on the tip of her tongue. Once Emma stepped over the threshold and took a steadying breath she looked around the room, her golden tresses surrounding her head like a halo. She took in the closed drapes and untouched bed, the stacks of closed boxes in the corners and then she saw the doors of the closet, slightly ajar, Ruby's fearful eyes gleaming in the dark.
For a moment their eyes met. Green on green, both glistening with wetness. Ruby could see the drying up tracks the tears had left upon Emma's cheeks. The realization why those tears had been shed, who had been the cause of them had pierced Ruby's heart. She gulped, letting a shuddering breath leave her chest and not making any moves to escape. It would be better this way. To get what she deserved from someone whom she loved, who loved her, at least until this day. Ruby was sure that love had turned to ashes after what had happened. Emma was here to end it. Of course, she was.
Emma flung the closet doors open and Ruby braced herself for the inevitable blast of magic to hit her, but it never came. Instead Emma dropped to her knees. She grabbed at Ruby's tattered clothes and pulled her towards her. The next second Emma's arms closed around her. The hug was fierce, tight to the point of pain for the first few seconds until Emma breathed out and lessened her grip. Her hand weaved into Ruby's hair and began a slow set of rubbing motions over the back of her head. Her other hand was painting reassuring circles along her back.
"Oh thank god, I found you," whispered Emma over her shoulder and her voice cracked. All the anger at the locked door and the urgency evaporated from it. "It's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be alright. I've got you, Rubes. I got you."
The shake of Emma's voice spoke volumes of her own state. And yet the overwhelming emotion radiating from her was relief. Not anger, not vengeance or disgust. Relief.
Ruby shuddered in the circle of Emma's arms. Her brows knitted in a painful line and she sagged against Emma. Ruby's hands came up to fist in the fabric of Emma's shirt holding on for dear life.
Her throat contracted, but she pushed the words out, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Shh, it's alright. It wasn't your fault. I've got you now, babe. I'm not letting you go."
Emma rocked Ruby and soothed her with reassuring hands and soft nothings in her ear as Ruby broke down again. She held on to Emma and bawled hiding her face in the crook of her neck. The muffled stream of sobbed 'sorry's' over and over again.
Ruby could not believe Emma was able to forgive her. But the colossal weight of what she had done was too much to bear on her own. So she clutched at Emma and tried fruitlessly to forget the events of this horrible night.
. . .
36 hours ago. Before the eclipse.
"Wadda you readin'?" asked Ruby as she plopped on the loveseat and stretched her long legs onto the puff with a pleased groan.
Regina glanced up from her spot at her desk in the study. In front of her was an old, leather-bound book. By the look of yellow, frayed pages it was truly ancient, or at least made to look so. Regina regarded Ruby as she stretched out her arms above her head and over the back of the loveseat and yawned loudly. Must have been a long shift, thought Regina with a smile. She carefully flattened out the delicate pages, tracing the weaving handwriting with the pad of her finger.
"This is a book your grandmother gave me a long time ago." Regina explained, a wistful expression softening her features at the memory. "Before I and Emma figured out a way to transform with our magic, I wanted to know more about the change you go through. I forgot how fascinating this werewolf mysticism is."
Ruby groaned rolling her eyes. "Ugh, Regina, some of those stories are just there to scare children. Actually, most of that book is bull. It's all ancient legends and great forbidden magic's. Nothing in there is worth a damn. Or Granny would have actually showed it to me before I ate someone."
Regina lifted a perfectly sculpted brow and fixed Ruby with a pointed look. A look that held an altogether different meaning. Ruby snorted and fidgeted on the sofa under that smoldering gaze.
"I did not mean it like that. Get your mind out of the gutter, woman."
"Says the one who just last night demanded, and I quote, 'to feast on the ambrosia of her lovers cu–"
"Hey, now!" interrupted Ruby, a blush creeping up her face. "That's totally different. Not anywhere near what a werewolf could do!"
Regina hummed in mock contemplation and then drawled conversationally, "I beg to differ. With the amount of teeth you use, dear..." her voice got lost in the happy, open laughter from Ruby.
It was amazing to think they could laugh and joke about the dangerous nature of Red's werewolf side. Only that alone spoke volumes about the trust that had developed between the two of them. But not only two. A lot of credit had to go to another member of their little family.
Speaking of the devil, the sound of the front door closing made Ruby's ears perk up. Regina herself having heard it felt the corners of her mouth curve upward.
After several minutes had passed in comfortable silence, only interrupted by Ruby's residual giggles, the door to the study opened up. Emma strode in, looking her usual self sans the red leather jacket and boots. She was holding a glass of orange juice in one hand, not the jug from the refrigerator, which had been an achievement. The years of Regina's insistent training had paid off.
Emma took a few steps into the room while draining her glass. Once it was less than half empty, she let out a huge breath and put it on the surface of the bar, making sure to use a coaster, probably just to avoid a lecture from Regina again. She then stumbled towards the sofa swirled on the spot – wave of blonde curls flowing with the motion – and fell backwards on the small free space. Ruby snorted again as Emma let out a loud 'oomph' and tried tiredly to fit her body on the small loveseat. Huffing out an annoyed whine Emma swung her legs over the side and lowered her head onto Ruby's lap. She stretched and sighed as the position appeared to be somewhat comfortable for her. Ruby's long fingers weaved into blonde hair and once her nails scratched over Emma's scull she almost purred in pleasure. A rumbling sigh left Emma's mouth and she opened her eyes, green meeting the green above.
"Hi," breathed out Emma.
"Hey," answered Ruby. "Long day?"
"Three cats in trees, one drunken Leroy and a property dispute. I don't wanna talk about," added she seeing the curious gleam in Ruby's eyes. "I take it you haven't had the best of times either?"
"Double shift plus inventory. I'm starting to doubt my decision. Agreeing to start managing Granny's isn't all it was advertised to be. My legs are killing me."
Emma started to shift off Ruby's lap immediately, but the hand on her head stopped the movement. Emma looked up, brows furrowed, but the face up above her was smiling.
"Stay," murmured Ruby.
Emma grinned and curled more comfortably on the sofa, feet dangling in the air. A soft cough pulled the two cozying up to each other women out of their relaxed states. Regina arched a brow from her seat as she regarded the scene.
"Am I invisible?" said she with a pout that all three of them knew was an act. "No 'hello, darling, how are you?' No kiss, nothing. I'm forced to assume someone loves the wolfgirl more than me."
Ruby snorted with barely contained laughter shoving her fist into her mouth to muffle the sound. Emma shifted her head around on Ruby's lap to throw a tired grin Regina's way. She put her hand under her cheek and said, "Sorry, babe. Hi. How was your day?"
Regina pursed her lips, but inwardly she was struggling to keep up her unimpressed front.
Emma's brows knitted and she gave her the best puppy dog eyes she was capable of. "Love you," she offered, her scrunched up face undeniably adorable.
Regina huffed out a breath and conceded, "I love you too, dear," to more of Ruby's stifled giggling. Ignoring the insufferable girl Regina continued thoughtfully, "I had an early meeting, met our son for lunch and... Did you know Henry is planning to invite some if his friends to visit Storybrooke on his next break? That could have disastrous consequences. We'll need to instruct the townspeople, modify the barrier. I don't understand why he wants it so badly, doesn't he spend most of the school year with them anyway?"
Her words grew quiet as Regina registered that a second voice had joined in Ruby's muffled sniggering. She fixed her gaze on the pair of amused women cuddled up on the sofa. Regina raised a brow as her eye caught the sparks of mirth in two sets of green.
"Prey tell, what is that amused you so much, hmm? Personally I do not find security if this town a laughing matter."
Emma sighed, then gave her an adoring grin. "Babe, no matter how smart you are - and you so are, smart and sexy and wonderful - sometimes you miss the most obvious things. Henry's in college. He's nineteen. Who do you think he wants to bring to show his hometown? Your little prince is all grown up. Though, bringing a girlfriend home is a big step, or so I hear."
"Girlfriend?" Regina blinked in surprise as if such thought haven't crosses her mind and it really hasn't.
"Or a boyfriend. I wouldn't know. I'm just guessing here. He didn't say, but I'd be a shitty sheriff if I didn't pick up on the signs coming from my own son."
Red snorted above her and when Regina moved her disbelieving eyes towards her face Ruby looked away. Regina gasped. She would have been annoyed at herself at such undignified response, but she couldn't care less in the moment.
"Ruby! You know something!"
Red bit her lip and gave them both a short look accompanied by a sheepish shrug of her shoulders.
"Yeah, I do. But I can't tell you," she added in a rush seeing their bewilderment morph into excitement. "I promised Henry that I wouldn't."
"Oh, so you two are keeping secrets from us now?" muttered Emma.
"It's not like that! He wanted some advice and... It's not a secret or anything. Henry wanted to tell you guys himself, so that's why I'm not supposed to."
Emma waited for Ruby to start fidgeting and then burst into laughter. Red shoved her shoulder throwing a halfhearted glare at down at the laughing blonde until her face relaxed and she joined in. Regina shook her head at the antics and let out a long sigh. She really was having a hard time accepting that her little prince was indeed a man now. It was hard enough to let him go off to college, but this felt like she was losing another part of him all over again. Regina was well aware it wasn't healthy, that she was supposed to let Henry be his own man, make his own choices and even mistakes, but a part of her, she knew, would always want to keep him close and safe. She blinked away the unwanted emotions and smoothed her fingers over the yellowish pages.
"Alright, dear, let's agree that you haven't betrayed his confidence. In any case, after Henry went to meet up with David, I stayed. Ruby, you grandmother and I had an interesting chat. Granny had reminded me of the Red Moon."
"Oh, not that again!" Ruby's annoyance overtook her amusement. The rich brown locks fell down the sides of her face as she shook her head.
Emma on the other hand squinted her eyes in question, "What's up with the moon now?"
"Emma." Regina let out a long-suffering sigh. "Do you ever pay attention? We had discussed the werewolf lore before. I showed you this tome. The incantation to transform, the one I thought you, the one that allows us to join Ruby on her runs, it was inspired by what is in this book."
"Oh, come on, Regina!" Emma rolled her eyes. "That was like four years ago! And give me some credit, I had learned the spell, didn't I?"
"I suppose so," Regina had to admit. "In any case, putting your poor recollection skills aside," Emma huffed at the teasing delivery, "this compendium of legends tells of the rare times when the full moon turned blood red in the night's sky. Once every two hundred years. The legend postulates that during that time werewolves turn and answer to calling. No matter where they are or how strong they are at controlling their animal side. The Red Moon works like a hallucinogenic drug, in magical sense of course. It robs the werewolves of their human part completely and fuses them with unnatural rage. At that time, as the legend says, they are especially dangerous."
"Which is all bullshit!" interrupted Ruby. "Not a single instance was recorded in the chronicles of the Enchanted Forest."
"The human records are not a reliable source of information in the supernatural matters, dear. Although, I do remember some rumors about rabid wolves going around George's kingdom some fifty years before his rule."
"And that could be anything," Ruby waved her hand in dismissal. "If the chronicles can not be trusted, then rumors can't be taken seriously either."
"Wait..." murmured Emma. "Red moon... Hm... That's a natural occurrence, not a magical one, isn't it? It just happens on lunar eclipse when the Earth and the Sun are aligned and the Moon is on the other side of the Earth. If I remember it right it all depends on the angle of the sunlight and consistency of the atmosphere. The reflected light gets shifted into a different spectrum and so we see a red moon. Or something like that. It's physics, not magic." she glanced up at the amusedly taken aback faces of her lovers and grinned. "What? I do read."
"Oh, I'm sure you do, dear," drawled Regina in that special placating tone she knew would get the blonde to tell her anything. "Let me guess, boring day at the office and the Discovery Channel?"
Sure enough Emma's cheeks tinged with soft pink and she chuckled. "No, a really long sting. From my bail bondsperson days. And it was a magazine, okay? Doesn't change the facts."
Regina lifted her shoulder in a shrug, but her lips quirked at her lover in teasing doubt. Ruby, however, latched onto the explanation immediately.
"See? A reasonable explanation. One that does not involve horror stories of werewolves attacking villagers."
Regina frowned at the way Ruby was so adamant in her denial of the validity of anything to do with the legends. This was not like her. Red would never shy away from hard truth, even if in this case it was so unlikely. She had an open mind and undying curiosity, two of the many qualities Regina loved about her girlfriend.
She tilted her head, her eyes seeking out the green of Ruby's. "This is not like you, Red. Care to explain what's really going I with you and this book?" Once Ruby opened her mouth to clearly state that everything was okay, Regina interrupted her with a placating open palm. "None of that now. Whatever is bothering you, it can't be that bad, but I do see that something is. Out with it."
Ruby chewed on her cheek, then rubbed her hands over her face. Returning Regina's gaze she flicked her eyes down to Emma for a moment, the blonde's expression curious and waiting.
Ruby sighed, "Alright. That book you're holding is full of lies and half-truths. It's probably like an amalgamation of real facts, crazy rumors and whatever the writers could think up. It's part sweeping tales romanticizing the wolves and part stories to terrify children. And what it does the best is confuse you with false hope."
Regina's face fell. She shared a quick glance with Emma, the same expression clouding her features. Emma's hand came up to rub gently down Ruby's arm. "Oh, darling..." whispered Regina, but Red just gave them both a tense shrug.
"There is a recipe in there," she continued in a strained voice. "Of an elixir that's supposed to help control the transformation. Let you turn at will. Or not at all. Well, at least the it says so on the page. So you might imagine what that recipe could have meant to a young girl, who have just began to figure out who... or what... she was. The girl who had to watch her own mother, the only one who helped her to understand, die and the pack she almost believed herself a part of scatter into the wilderness."
Red swallowed clenching her fist on the armrest. Her other hand had been snatched up by Emma, though the knuckles encased in a warm palm were as white as the others. Despite that Ruby seemed unable to stop now that the words had began to leave her lips.
"I... Back then, it was just after Snow went off on her own, to get herself into a crystal coffin as it turned out," she gave Regina an apologetic smile, which looked pale in comparison to her usual brightness. "and I was alone again. I had found this book and delved in all of that more and history, or so it thought. I was desperate enough to try the making the elixir. It took many tries of following the instructions to the letter until I got the resulting potion to fit the description, but I did it. And do you know what it did when I drank the elixir?" she paused glancing up at them, "Absolutely nothing. My stomach rebelled for the next two days, but none if the promised magic effects happened. It was all a lie."
Ruby let out a humorless chuckle, her hand snuck its way through her hair whisking a few long strands out of her face. A ragged breath rumbled out of her throat and her tense body relaxed. She sagged into the back of the sofa, her free hand dropping to thread once more through the blonde tresses strewn across her lap.
"So that's why I despise all this talk of werewolf legends, especially when it comes from that thing. Don't get me wrong, some of it was good. I can't put into words how much it means to me that you had figured out how to magically transform yourselves. To be able to share that part of me, not being alone on my runs..." She shrugged awkwardly helpless to describe the indescribable. "But it was you doing it, not the book. And maybe there are truths hidden in there, maybe some of it is real. I just can't do this again. Dredge through the made up tales in hopes of finding that one that is actually true. At least in this world without magic there is something to be learned about not believing in Santa Claus and all that, you know."
"Rubes..." began Emma after a minute of silence, she glanced back at Regina locking their eyes in a silent conversation. One almost imperceptible shake if the brunette head and Emma changed the tone of her sentence. It became playful, light, teasing blocks dancing suddenly in her eyes and wide smile, "Rubes, you don't believe in Santa? How could you possibly? He's so real! And are you going to tell Henry? It's gonna break our kids heart!"
Red snorted at the joke, a soft smile spreading across her face. "Henry's nineteen. I'm sure he already had his moment of realization that Santa's not real."
"Uh-huh, that coming from the Red Riding Hood?" sniggered Emma unperturbed.
"Yes, dear. The people of this world think us a fairy tale, who is to say there could not be a realm where a white-bearded spirit of the holidays does bring all the children presents."
Red narrowed her eyes at Regina suspiciously, "You don't believe that, do you? I find it hand to picture Regina Mills believing in Santa Claus."
"Circumstances change," Regina rolled her shoulder with a coy smirk on her red lips.
Ruby finally exhaled what seemed to be the total supply of air in her lungs. She nudged Emma to move and once the blonde sat up Ruby dropped her feet off the puff. She stood up from her spot on the love seat groaning a bit as she balanced on high heeled boots. With a quick peck on each of her lover's lips she slipped out if the room murmuring something about a hot shower. Emma and Regina shared a look of concern, but both of them knew when their girl needed some space and time alone. Yet before either could speak Ruby lingered at the door. She turned her head, an arm on the doorframe, half of her tall frame hidden from view, and gave them a meaningful, soft smile.
"Thank you," she added in a voice full of subdued emotion and disappeared out of sight.
They listened to the clicks of the hard-tipped boots on the parquet and up the stairs. Emma rumbled with her lips and fell back down on the loveseat – golden curls bouncing around her head. In the same kind of thoughtful concentration Regina regarded the pages of the book she did find fascinating herself, and firmly closed it only after a second hesitation.
Emma broke the silence first. "Should we do something about all that?"
"No." Regina said and could hear the small tinge of doubt in her voice, and if she could Emma could hear it too. Said blonde sheriff huffed in disbelief as if she had read her thoughts while stretching her arms in the air and staring at the ceiling.
"No," repeated Regina more firmly. "We should do what we have done so far. Loving and supporting each other, that's what we do. When Red is ready to talk about it she will come to us."
"You know, you changed a lot these past few years." murmured Emma. "Not that I haven't too, but sometimes you throw me, babe. I'm really glad to be on the loving side of the hardass mayor these days."
"Well, dear, like I've said: circumstances change." purred Regina as she stood up from her chair and headed out of the room.
The heavy tome remained laying opened on the desk. Upon its yellowing pages an ominous painting of the wolf howling at the blood moon was accompanied by pages of frightened and awed warnings.
Though, on the next page, the one Regina hadn't gotten to, there was a little note added in a curvy handwriting by a much later editor. It didn't say much, only one sentence. One sentence making all the scary legends appear in a different light. The one note none of them had seen.
. . .
Last night. Evening of the eclipse.
Emma stood in the mansion's backyard looking up at the stars. Regina was still talking to Henry, no doubt reminding their independent and self-assured son of the remaining lasagna in the fridge. No matter how old or how much if an adult Henry had become, he would always remain her little prince and all of them including Henry had to accept it. Emma glanced back and saw Ruby walking up to the conversing pair. Rubes approached Henry from behind and slid up to his side throwing an arm around his shoulders. She ruffled his hair with the other to both annoyance from his mother and a friendly shoulder bump – courtesy of Henry's.
Emma sighed from her spot under the porch light. A tender smile bloomed on her lips. This had been perfect. This warm and wonderful feeling of belonging was in such contrast to the larger part of her life before. Before Henry, before Storybrooke. Before her parents. Before falling in love with two fairy tale characters one after the other.
She chuckled at the absurdity of that sentence, yet it was true. Emma had never felt more at peace. Ever since Red moved in it felt like the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place. This, the trio on the porch, the small town, all of it, this was what she had always been missing. What she had searched for her entire life, even perhaps without the smallest idea of what it is she needed to find.
Shaking the reminiscence and cloying tightness in her chest since – god forbid! – it was beginning to prickle at her eyes Emma shouted to her running partners for the night.
"Oi! We need to get movin', mates!"
Regina glared at her, but moved closer nonetheless. Ruby joined her after she gave Henry a peck on the cheek followed by wiping off the little red smudge of lipstick with her thumb. Henry just stared for a second, clearly confused.
"Mom, your British accent is atrocious! Why are you doing this? Been binging on one too many detective shows lately?"
"Nah, I'm the sheriff. Got all the detecting I need," disagreed Emma with a grin.
"Your mother got it in her head that since we are mates, she has to commemorate it in 'proper accent'." Ruby made air quotes while smirking at Emma. "Though, I have told her repeatedly that werewolf mating had nothing to do with Great Britain."
"Oh, come on! It's funny!" Emma threw her arms in indignation.
"If you say so," said Regina making her own opinion of the recurring joke painfully obvious.
Emma snickered to herself and grumbled a totally-on-purpose "No one appreciates me here, yeah-yeah, I get it" response.
Her son rolled his eyes and waved his hand at them. "Okay, you guys have fun and do whatever it is you do on your runs! I'll be up when you come back. We can grab a snack or something."
"Won't you be asleep, dear? We usually stay out until very late in the night."
"Hey, so the whole wolfing out thing grew old already? You don't want to watch us?"
Both replies came out at the same time, Regina and Emma's voiced intermingling together, but carrying a very different connotations. Ruby tried to hide her grin, though Emma could see it from the corner of her eye. They both knew what this was all about, really. Emma still found her ability to share in the magi aspects of her lover's lives thrilling. Granted, it took her a long time to even get used to the idea of magic, but slowly experiencing it, seeing the pride on Regina's face as she managed to get more and more spells right. Being able to share in the full moon runs with Rubes, that had changed her mind on the whole hokus-pokus thing. So seeing Henry's – of all people! – diminished interest in his filled with fairy tale characters hometown was… odd, to say the least. But, she supposed, he was growing up, finding new interests and that really was inevitable. Regina on her part, was probably still in denial. And Ruby… Oh, Ruby somehow in her instinctive ways had figured it all out a long time ago.
"Okay, wolfing out is cool and all," reassured them Henry. "but I have seen you guys do it like a thousand times already. So yeah, kinda getting a bit old now. And no, mom, I'm not going to bed. It's the break and I don't have to get up for anything. So I'll be raiding with some friends from college. Howl when you get back, 'kay?"
And he was gone with a cheeky grin as the back door closed after him.
"He definitely gets his puns from you." smirked Ruby nudging Emma's shoulder with her own.
"Yeah, I guess." Emma smiled, then gestured to the open space on the back lawn. "Shall we?"
Red nodded and sook a step forward. She pulled the tether of her cloak and it floated to her feet. The moonlight cascaded down her tall frame and… The change had always been hard to see with Ruby. It seemed like she had shimmered. Like her body moved and in the split second it took Emma to blink she was gone. Instead of the lanky brunette there sat a beautiful massive wolf of the lawn. Red's coat shining dark brown with deep carmine overtones. Her bright yellow eyed gleamed in the night, curious and filled with human understanding. She bared her teeth in a grin, licked her chops and sneezed.
Emma couldn't help but laugh at that. She loved seeing Ruby as a wolf, all restraints lifted and nothing holding her back. She took a deep breath and glanced at Regina, their eyes locking for a long moment. The excitement dancing in bright blue-green and deep chocolate was palpable as it had always been since their first time successfully doing this. Nodding to each other they slid into the incantation pose reciting the words and following with the proper gestures.
Emma felt the pure white smoke engulf her and its warmth seeped into her skin, her flesh and bones. Regina was surrounded by the purple cloud of her own magic. Their transformation was nothing alike what the werewolves went through. It was a transfiguration spell, not a curse. It was based in their innate magic, an extension of it, redistribution of energy. Emma felt that spike of dizziness as her world tipped on its scales and she was suddenly standing on all fours. She inhaled deeply trying to sort through the onslaught of smells that surrounded her. Her ears pressed to her head, then perked up and turned as the kakophony of sound became a map of all that was around them. She shook her head adjusting to the changes and straightened. She opened her eyes. The world had changed or rather she had, yet after all this time she needed only a couple of minutes to feel comfortable in her new hide.
She knew what she looked like now. Emma had been curious, thus the first thing they did that very first time was to race to the lace and stare at their reflections. She had became a big wolf, as big as Ruby, though her bone structure was more brawny, she sat closer to the ground. Emma's fur was white. Not albino, but of natural silvery-white hue. Her eyes shone golden just as Ruby's. Emma blinked and yawned, her long sharp teeth on full display. Then she closed her jawn with an audible clang, but could not resist opening them again, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.
She rather felt than heard an amused huff from her left and tilted her head to the side. Regina way lying regally on the grass, front paws crossed in front of her. Leave it to her to look as rolya and composed even in an animal form. Emma eyed her with appreciation, knowing that Ruby was doing the same. Regina was smaller than them, but more agile. Her sable coat glistened in the light. It was darker than Ruby's, a pure antracit with a barely there tinge of faint purple. Regina regarded them with her lilac eyes, the mischievous glint in them pulling at something primal in Emma. This was how it always began.
Suddenly Ruby bolted from her spot towards Regina, but when she lept to the spot where the black wolf was relaxing just a moment ago, she only landed on an empty patch of grass. Regina was already standing at the hedge, her tail swirling provocatively. This was their game. Regina became the first to be chased and whoever got to catch her would be the next to tag. The chased and the chaser switched throughout the night in an endless race of one upmanship. Until they would tire themselves out and head towards the lake. Quench their thirst and lay on the beach cuddled next to each other enjoying a different kind of closeness.
It went like any other full moon night, filled with exhilarating games and thrilling chases. But then the silvery-blue light of the moon changed and with it… everything else.
They had just reached the lake. Muscles filled with pleasant tension and tongues and stomachs cooling with the fresh water from the lake. Ruby had been agitated the last few hours of the run. It was like she could not burn off her excess energy like usual. She strived for more and when her mates expressed the desire for a breather, she did not hide her displeasure. Ruby followed then still, but she was sprinting in circles around the pair, tearing through bushes and scratching at the tree trunks. Once they were at the lake, Ruby guzzled down on the cool water, even submerged her whole head in the lake. She pulled out and send showers of drops flying everywhere as she shook her head. Emma and Regina settled next to each other at their usual spot next to the big bolder and Ruby had layin down leaning heavily against Emma's side. Though, it did not last. She sprung upright in a minute and bounced around the beach before paddling back to her mates and almost whimpering at the uncertainty of what was making her so agitated.
Until the shore was suddenly bathed in the different light. Like someone had flipped a switch. The waters became deep and red, like the lake had been turned to blood. Shadows danced in the tree line. Emma could not believe it, but the second it happened Ruby, her Rubes, had changed too.
It was like a lightning had struck a massive wolf standing on the beach. Her fur was standing up as if really electrified, legs spread and teeth bared. The low growl emanated from deep within her chest growing stronger.
Abruptly Ruby raised her head and howled at the moon, her dark form contrasting against the blood-filled circle. And when she lowered it again and looked at them, her eyes had lost their soft golden shine.
They were red. Red and full of primal, undiluted rage. Emma could not even see any of her Ruby in those searing eyes and that look had struck her to the very core. This was not happening. Not in her world nightmares Emma could have imagined something like this. She was paralyzed with fear, confusion and shock.
So when Ruby launched, she had not, could not move a muscle. Emma watched as her love lept through the air, jaws opening for a strike and could not do a thing about it.
Yet another, smaller, darker shadow appeared out of nowhere in Ruby's path, ready to…
What?
Emma remained in trance, she just gaped at the scene in front of her willing herself to blink and wake up. Two bodies colliding and springing apart, circling each other. The snarls and growls.
It wasn't until she heard a small undignified yelp of pain, the drops of blood on the sand that she shook off her shock and lunged forward.
. . .
It was so different from before. Ruby could not place the moment when it all changed. The run turned all wrong and then it only gotten worse.
Before meeting her mother Ruby could not even remember her time as the wolf. It just took over and she would wake in the morning with no memory of the night. But then she learned to control the change, to embrace it. She relished the freedom of the run, being connected to all and everything under the full moon. Red became one with both of her sides. She was the wolf and the wolf was her. Through all her time running with her mates Ruby had always been grateful for that one lesson her mother hand imparted upon her. This time it was different.
The second the red light of the blood moon touched her, something rose from within. The wolf took over, yet it wasn't her wolf. It was a beast she always feared herself becoming. It pushed her away, locked her in the rattling prison of its skull and left her there to see and feel everything, but not be able to change a thing. Ruby had been powerless, the beast had all the power.
It attacked her mates. It would have probably have attacked anything it could find. It snarled and growled and then it lunged at them. Emma was in too much sock, Ruby could almost see her jaws closing around the while wolf's throat, but Regina had intercepted the wolf. She tried to keep it at bay, pushing it away from Emma. Regina had always been incredibly agile in her animal form, she dodged every hit of paws, every snap of jaws. Until she didn't. The first time the wolf's jaws found Regina Red screamed. She could feel the blood filling her own mouth. Regina yelped and jumped away, but her front paw had been torn to shreds. That had finally roused Emma from her frozen state and she got to her feet, though before she could do anything the wolf attacked again. It used Regina's injury and left another gash in her shoulder.
"No! Leave them alone! Run! Got away from them!"
Emma was barreling towards the wolf at her full speed and it sniggered only for Ruby to hear. It turned around and bolted off the beach. Ruby could sense that Emma was about to give chase, but she too heard the weak whimper from behind. Praying that Emma would stay and help Regina Ruby watched as the unleashed beast tore through the forest and unleashed it's rage at the wild life.
The legend was true. It was true and she didn't believe it.
Ruby was shaking inside, trapped in her own body without any control over it. The wolf rages relentlessly at anything it could find in the woods, foam gathering at its snarled jaws. Yet suddenly it unfocused lashing out became clearer. It was being pulled in one direction – towards Storybrooke. Ruby watched in horror as the wolf raced towards the populated areas biting at the innocent leaves and brambles on its way. No matter how wild and crazed the anima had become, it still had some semblance of instinctual understanding of what Ruby, her wolf, remembered. As the sight of the meticulously maintained lawn and garden and the white walls of the mansion came into view Ruby shuddered inside of her prison. She caught a glimpse of the moon out of the corner of the wolf's eye and saw that the eclipse was passing. She could not tell how long it had lasted or how long it would be until it ended, but she prayed to any deity, any magic entity that would listen for it to end soon. For it to end before the wolf jumped through the kitchen window sending shattered glass cascading across Regina's pristine kitchen surfaces.
And as those prayers had gone so many times for her in the Enchanted Forest, so did these too have gone unanswered.
The wolf landed on its paws, shook its head sending a few more pieces of glass flying and smelled the scents of the house. It swiveled its perked up ears and opened up its mouth to taste the air. Ruby knew what it would find. She watched on in utter terror as it carefully pawed its way up the stairs and down the hall. There were no more chatter in the room it was headed to. A faint melody was playing in the background – loading screen of some game most likely. The wolf stopped at the closed door, all rage concealed, condensed into the deadliest calm. It scratched at the door with the gentleness that would have send shivers down Ruby's spine. She prayed once again for the door to remain closed, not concerned about how foolish that sounded even in her head. This little wooden door could no more protect from the wolf than a whole squad of trained knights. She knew that well.
The door swung open into the room and soft light of the single lamp and powered up dual monitor set-up poured in the corridor throwing a strange mosaic of yellow, green and purple on the floor.
"Hey, Ruby! Why you're back so early? And all by yourself?" asked Henry brightly suppressing a yawn. "Did moms got to you with too much attention, huh? Yeah."
He moved back towards his desk leaving the door open for the wolf to slowly stalk inside.
Henry flopped onto his swivel chair and gestured vaguely to the monitors. "I was playing to the crew, but they wanted to take a break." He tilted his head with a dreamy smile. "Felicia had been bugging me with the questions about Storybrooke all day, you know. She really wants to see it."
The wolf shifted on its legs, its muscles straining, rippling with the tension of the moment before the jump…
"I know you have been dying to tell moms about her. Sorry about that. I've been too! It's just…"
Ruby could see the moon from the opened window. It was getting brighter at the edges, the dark scarlet shifting to show a sliver of silvery blue. But not fast enough.
"...I kinda wanted it all to ourselves for now. And moms… You know them. Emma would have wanted to get to know Felicia. And mom… Don't even get me started on that! She would have given her a third degree! Probably still will, hah."
The wolf lunged.
Ruby screamed.
The chair toppled over.
Someone screamed as well.
Ruby could feel the warm, sticky liquid on her tongue, her muzzle.
The blood red was everywhere.
...And then it wasn't.
She could feel her body again. She could feel her wolf return.
The room was bathed in the same soft light, but it was aided by the silvery blue of the full moon outside. Not red. Clear. Familiar. Hers.
Ruby backed up from the mess of upturned chair and fallen curtains, the laying in pieces monitors and peripherals strewn about the floor. But that wasn't what had made her cry out in physical plain.
Henry way lying on his back, his hands at his collar. Blood was smearing his shirt, his hands. Shoulders, front, the rug underneath – it all slowly absorbed the awful redness like the Blood Moon wanted to keep making its point even after it was gone. Ruby saw Henry's chest heaving unsteadily, the blue eyes looking at her with shock and fear.
For the first time in all her time as a wolf Ruby had simply willed herself to become human. She demanded it with all of her strength and desperation. Because only if she could turn back could she save this boy who was like a– No! Who was her son! She had to save him, right now, right this second! She had to!
And just like that, without a red enchanted cloak or a spell or anything other than her will and love alone, with a full moon still high in the sky…
Ruby turned back human.
The moment she could feel her legs and arms, she rushed to Henry grabbing a clean shirt off his bed. She moved his hands away checking the wound with shaking fingers. It wasn't as bad as she thought. The wolf mostly grazed his shoulder, its fangs did not crush his windpipe or ripped his throat out. But the blood was still pouring. Ruby closed the shirt over the world and applied pressure. Henry whimpered under her hand and she felt her vision blur.
"H-henry, can you hear me, honey? I need you to open your eyes, dear," she had almost choked on his name. Relief, shame, guilt and a thousand of other emotions making her head spin, yet it wasn't time for that now.
Henry opened his eyes, blue irises swirling with fear and suspicion and disbelief. "Ruby... Y-you…"
"It wasn't me, Hen. I wasn't myself. It was magic of the moon. I didn't want to hurt you, honey. Please, you have to believe me! I would never–"
And then he smiled a weak, trembling smile as if this was what she wanted to see on his face quickly draining of color. "I see… You're a good wolf, Rubes. Heroes don't do…"
His eyes drooped closed and she could feel her heart breaking into a million pieces.
"Henry, please! You have to stay with me! I mean, you still haven't told your moms about... About Felicia... And I haven't told them either... Like I promised…"
Tears poured down her cheeks freely. Emma and Regina would never… Hell, she would never forgive herself if she let him..! Ruby interrupted her own train of thought. Her brows knitted in determination. She looked around the room and her eyes fell on the fallen drapes. She tore a few slices off the sheet and tied the slowly sogging through shirt to Henry's shoulder. She had completely forgot about the first aid kit stored in the downstairs closet. All she knew was that she had to get Henry to the hospital, and she had to do it now.
Ruby checked over the make-shift bandages again and then hoisted Henry into her arms and sprinted out of the mansion at her top speed.
She had to get him there, she had to.
. . .
Present.
The next hour turned into a blur in her mind. She remembered getting to the hospital covered in blood and tears with the limp Henry in her arms and screaming for Viktor. The nurses wanted to take the boy from her, but she would not give him. Not until Whale arrived, pale and deadly serious. She let him place Henry on a gurney and babbled something about the wolf attack and the injury to his shoulder in a rush of not quite discernible exclamations in her urgency. She grabbed Viktor by the lapels of his white coat and half-begged half-threatened him to save Henry and then she was gone.
It was all too much. Too much for her to handle. Too much for her to process and maybe even to live with.
What if Henry… What if Regina? She had left her there, on the shore. Her paw was torn, at the very least. But Emma was there. She could help her, right? They had magic, right?
Ruby had rushed to her room above Granny's locking herself in and shriveling in the smallest, least obtrusive curled up ball she could. She yelled at her rumpled grandmother, who got up after her unexpected intrusion, to go away and then… And then she cried. She cried and cried and cried until she could not anymore. But then the white face would float in front of her, she would hear the little painful yelp af a black wolf and the tears would start falling.
And now she was engulfed in Emma's arms. Safe. Perhaps even forgiven. She could not possibly have deserved it. Emma had held her until the shuddering sobs subsided, then she drew Ruby away. Emma slowly pried open the white-knuckled fingers that clung to her clothes and rubbed some color in them. On of her hands came up to wipe at Ruby's cheeks in such a tender move, Ruby thought she would break down again, but she didn't. She had given it her all leaving her body exhausted and numb. The shock of Emma being here, forgiving, loving, on top of everything else had overloaded her hysteria.
Now all she could do was inquire with disbelieving curiosity, "Emma… Why… What are you doing here? Regina! Did she…? Have you–"
"Shh," Emma had pressed a finger to her lips stopping the frantic waterfall of questions and the surge of fear in Ruby's eyes. "Regina is fine. I have healed her once we got back into human form. She lost quite a bit of blood, but she will be alright." Emma chuckled even though her own eyes were watery and haunted. "She was awake when I left them. Ordered me to go and find you and 'not come back until I had found that troublesome wolfgirl!'"
"Them?" Ruby caught on immediately. "How… How's…"
"Henry? He'll be fine, too. Whale stitched him up. That would looked worse that it really was. And he's a strong boy. I'm sure they both will be just fine."
Ruby glanced up at Emma and saw precisely what she expected. Emma's jaw was tightened, her eyes and eyebrows set, determination oozed off of her, she had even squared her shoulders. Emma was putting on a brave face, willing herself to believe what she was saying and by extension for others to believe as well. Not that any of what she had said wasn't true, but it was easier for the Saviour in Emma to take over. To be the rock everyone else needed, at least right now. No doubt when the crisis abated, she would crash and spend many a night waking up in cold sweat and clinging to both her and Regina as tightly as she could.
Red stopped herself abruptly from dwelling on these thoughts. They almost seemed hopeful. It was too soon for that. A dreadful thought suddenly occurred to her. It send a shiver down her spine and the room swayed around her.
"I have turned them both, didn't I?" breathed out Ruby looking down on her lap.
"Honestly, we don't know yet. Whale wants to run some tests. I suppose, we'll see."
"I'm so sorry," mumbled Ruby, a painful frown scrunching up her face.
"Hey, that's enough of that!" ordered Emma gently cupping Ruby face in her palms and pulling her to look up. "It wasn't you. I know you, Rubes, just as much as I love you. I know you and I know your wolf. And that thing was neither. No matter the consequences we will deal with them. And we will do that together as a family. Like we have for the last five years."
"But… I…" mumbled Ruby. "I couldn't do anything, just watch… And it's still my fault…"
"Why would it be?" Emma's face cleared up of tension in her incredulity. "You have hauled in your arms for five miles in what I can only guess was no more than ten minutes. That is incredible. You had turned back into a human despite the full moon to save our son. Granny told me that only happened twice that she knows off. In some ancient legends at that! She always thought it was impossible! And you did it! And the Red Moon works like fucking mind control! how any of this is your fault?"
"I couldn't stop it… The other wolf…"
"Honey... " drawled Emma, sympathy and affection shining in her eyes. "That's just crap. Do you know what Regina would have told you about that if she was here right now?"
"Yeah," shrugged Ruby guiltily, yet a little of her usual confidence was starting to return if a tiny tug at the corners of her lips was anything to judge by. "She would have called me an idiot, probably."
"She sure would have. So let's go and let her do that in person, okay?"
Ruby nodded. Then she looked down at her torn clothes and smudges of blood still decorating her open arms and t-shirt. The grimace of disgust covered her face.
"That's right, we should probably shower and change first. No use to scare the patients." Emma caught her look and started to pull away, but Ruby caught onto both of her wrists in a death grip.
"I can't." she mumbled.
"And why is that?" asked Emma. She was being nothing but patient for the last hour. None of the fury of the woman pounding on the ruined door remained.
"There's a mirror there," explained Ruby in a small voice. Somehow she just knew that Emma would understand and she did.
Emma remained silent of a moment. "Would you like me to remove it? From the wall, I mean. Or I can, I dunno, put a blanket over it or something?"
"No," whispered Ruby as Emma drew to stand again. "Don't… Don't leave me."
The pleading notes in her voice had made Ruby look down and blushed hotly as the shame and neediness was not something she wanted to show Emma. For cry out loud, Emma had been scared for Henry and Regina just as much as she was! And for her… For her, too. But her line of thought had not had a chance to spiral Ruby out of control again as Emma stood up and strong arms tugged Ruby up after her. Ruby rose to her feet and her knees gave out, she leaned with her whole body into Emma and felt those secure arms closing around her.
"Okay, so this is the plan," murmured Emma into her hair. "First, I'll have to fix this door, sorry about that by the way, but I was really scared for you and… You know. Anyway, then I'm going to put a blanket over the mirror in the bathroom. We are going to shower together and dress up in something comfy. We're gonna go down and get some of that delicious Granny's coffee to go and definitely some apple pie. Armed with said pie we can go and face Regina and her terrible wrath at us scaring her like that. And after all that is over I'm gonna get us some of those terrible cots in their room and we can spend the night with our family. Does that sound okay to you?"
"Yeah." whispered Ruby drawing her own arms around Emma's shoulders and tightening their embrace. "I love you, Emma. And Regina. And Henry, too. So much."
"And we love you too, baby. Always. No matter what."
Finally, after a long time standing wrapped in each other, something broke through their peacefulness. It buzzed again and Emma had huffed out a breath of annoyance. Her hand sneaked into the back pocket of her jeans coaxing out her phone. She brought the device up to her face around Ruby's back not wanting to separate their hug. Emma flipped through the messages to the last one and read it. Unbitten, unexpected a surprised laugh burst out of her reverberating in Ruby's chest. Looking up from her spot at the nook of Emma's neck Ruby looked questionably at Emma. The blonde just showed her the phone with a smile on her lips.
"Mom! I have a girlfriend! Her name's Felicia and I want her to visit SB next break! Don't be angry at Rubes! She knew and kept it a secret for me! I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I told mom already."
Then right in front of her Emma's phone pinged and another text appeared.
"You guys really should get here soon. Mom's freaking. She wants Rubes to be put in a bed next to us. Yeah, I knoooow. Oh, and bring some food! This hospital stuff is baaaad. ;P"
"And who was worried about them, huh?" exclaimed Emma.
Ruby just exhaled, the pressure washing off her like a wave. Henry was safe. And hungry, apparently. Regina was safe, safe and grumpy. It was all going to be alright. THey wanted her with them, a family. No matter what. She lowered her head on Emma's shoulder and smiled. A true, full smile for the first time since turning back.
As long as she had them, all of them, it was all going to be okay.
. . .
Far away from the mansion there was a tome of werewolf legends.
A heavy encrusted book was sealed in Regina vault at that very time.
And in it, there was a note. One incredibly important note.
In a curly cursive, over the last paragraph of dire warnings of the rabid beasts and the curse of the Red Moon, there was a sentence. One sentence that made all of it appear different. One sentence that had explained how Ruby managed to get the beast to leave her lovers. How she cleansed her mind a full minute before the eclipse really had ended. How she was able to turn back human and carried an almost grown man through the town in record time – even for her supernatural body. It was all there, on the other side of the page, one flip of yellowish paper away.
"True love is the most powerful magic of all."
The End.