A/N: "Shadow of the Queen" spoilers.
Disclaimer: "Once Upon a Time" is property of Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, ABC, etc.
Shadow of the Past
The scent on the wind was so familiar; clean like mountain air, with a hint of lilies. That was one thing that hadn't changed about her friend, the only one who after the curse had broken took to calling her by her original name. It reminded her of how close they were in the Enchanted Forest, a closeness that now brought Snow White to Red Riding Hood.
She approached her in the cemetery without a word, knowing full well that her friend could determine her presence with senses other than sight. Snow stopped askance of where Red sat on the grass with her arms across the knees pulled to her chest in front of the former sheriff's gravestone.
"I have the worst luck with romance," Red muttered, the mournful words pulling memories from the recesses of their minds.
Snow sat beside her and tried to catch Red's eye, her tone gentle and placating. "You couldn't have known what would happen to them."
Red lowered her head to her arms, covering half her face and muffling her voice. "It should have been me."
Her statement liberated Snow's restrained emotions and she hastily grabbed Red's arm, which succeeded in catching her attention. "Don't say that! You're a good person, Red. You deserve to live and be happy."
The expression in Red's face was already distressed, and her lips quivered as she answered with thoughts of the past. "Do I?" She already knew what Snow would say, but deep down she felt she needed the validation of others to know that she wasn't who she thought she was; that she wasn't a monster who brought others nothing but an untimely demise.
"Yes," Snow said, leaving no room for argument. Her hold on Red loosened but she leaned in to her, turning her gaze to the marked gravestone. It was hauntingly comforting to have a name to his memory other than the Huntsman. "I'm thankful to him, for convincing you to go with me. I've already lost many people I care about. I want my best friend to stick around."
The poignant scene of the cemetery contrasted the forest Red remembered, but the bond she felt with Snow was the same, perhaps even stronger since their time in the woods. This was one relationship she intended to hold on to as she looked to her and said, "We're in this together, Snow."
A/N: One thing I didn't like about "Shadow of the Queen" was that it made it seem like Red only resolved to keep Snow safe because of the Huntsman's sacrifice as opposed to her own feelings of friendship toward Snow. Friendship probably had to do with it too, but reading that scene on the surface that was the feeling I had. Sorry for the little rant here but I had to let that out.
On a lighter note, can you imagine the drama that could have happened with Emma, Graham, and Ruby if Graham had lived? I know I did, and there was awkwardness everywhere, haha...