The Wolf Among us - In The Night

It had been a long day for Snow. She'd only managed to get through a quarter of the line of people trying to get into the business office, and even then, she'd only managed to actually help a few of the people that she'd seen. She'd promised Fabletown that she'd make a difference now that she was mayor, she'd promised to make things better, to do better. That's what Bigby had said, he had convinced everyone to put their faith, their trust, and whatever little else they had into the system, into their Sheriff and their (deputy) Mayor, because he made them believe that they could do better. And now she felt like she had lied to them, sure she was doing better, but not by much. She could only see so many people a day, lend so much money and hear so many tales of woe. If anyone was making a difference, it was Bigby, he refused to turn down a single soul, it didn't matter if he was arresting a murderer or getting a cat out of a tree, he would always do the best that he could to help anyone who asked, no matter what.

Bigby had been pushing ridiculous hours in the sheriff's office, and it was starting to show, his eye's looked far darker than usual, he was slurring his words, and kept forgetting things. Snow had started to wonder if he had even slept in the week since imprisoning the Crooked Man. Somehow she doubted that he had, and that just made her feel guilty, because she had slept, she'd still been doing the same hours as before.

It wasn't meant to work like that was it? Bigby, despite his good intentions and honest heart, was still seen and treated like the bad guy. People still locked their doors when they saw him coming, Mother's still told their children to beware the big bad wolf, and men still instinctively grabbed bats and axes as he walked by them. But everyone treated her like the good guy. If she was honest, she probably wasn't, Bigby was truly her only real friend, and yet she still held at an arm's length. Snow had never truly understood why he continued to do his job, to help these people if that's how he was treated, and maybe she never would. Bigby wasn't a very open person, not the kind to say what he's feeling and why he's feeling it. But she hoped that one day he would open up. She would like that.

She hadn't seen Bigby in his office today, which wasn't too unusual, he spent most of his time out on cases, never a dull moment in Fabletown. But he usually came into her office at some point, to look for files or even just to say hi. She hadn't realised how much she enjoyed his little visits, but now that he hadn't come in, she realised that it was one of the few parts of her day that she enjoyed. And so, being concerned, Snow did something that she very rarely did. She got into the elevator and went to Bigby's floor.

The first thing that she noticed as she left the elevator was the smell. It was revolting, a mixture of Huff n' Puff cigarette smoke, and dust. She was surprised Bigby could handle it, especially since his sense of smell was so attuned, being a wolf and all. The second thing that she noticed was the sound. It was quite, but distinct, a sound which, against her best wishes, she had become quite accustomed to over the many years that she had known him. Bigby's grunts of pain.

Snow rushed to his door and began to frantically knock as hard as she could. It was moments like these that she wished that she had a key. She was allowed to think that wasn't she? She'd table that discussion for later.

"Just a minute"

A call came from within. Colin's voice. Snow was disappointed, she'd asked Bigby many times to send Colin to the farm, she'd have to bring it up with him once she was inside. The door opened and her disappointment with Bigby vanished at the sight before her. Bigby lay on his bed, with doctor Swineheart kneeling over him. Snow let out a small gasp and ran to his side to see what was wrong with him.

"Miss Snow, I do believe that I have warned you in the past that mister Bigby's destructive lifestyle was going to get him killed. I had hoped that you'd have the common sense to dissuade him from continuing to put himself in harms way. It would appear that I was wrong." Doctor Swineheart remarked.

As she looked over his shoulder, Snow could see several holes in Bigby's body. Proper holes. She could see the flannels of his sheets through some of them. A part of her wanted to kick Bigby and scream at him for doing this to himself again, another part wanted to curl up next to him and never let go until he opened his eyes. No! She yelled at herself internally, she couldn't afford to let her emotions interfere, if she did, she feared the she'd never recover. So she did what she usually did, no, what she Always did. She shut herself off. Became cold, as snow some might say.

She turned to Colin, needing answers. "Colin, who did this? And why?"

"How should I know? I just came home and found him like this" He replied. Snow didn't believe that at all. So she did what Bigby would do, she pressed.

"Colin, Someone had to call Swineheart, now answer my questions or I swear to god I will send you to the farm!" She had a feeling that Colin would remember that.

"Ok ok, i found him like this, barely conscious, riddled with bullet holes, and mumbling something about a horse. That's all I know, I swear Snow." He claimed.

Snow decided to leave him alone for now.

"Doctor, he'll pull through won't he?" Snow knew somehow that he would. Bigby always pulled through. He always came back to her. And no number of bullets would ever change that, she hoped.

"Most likely. But I can say that you friend here is a fighter. And a good one at that. If i might direct your attention to his hands?" Snow looked at his hands and saw that the knuckled were all a dark shade of purple, with cuts scattered all around. "I fear that someone came out of this endeavour far worse than our friend Mr Wolf here. Whether or not they will pull through is another matter entirely" Snow had reached an agreement with Bigby, that he could fight, and in extreme cases, kill someone, but only if he had sufficient evidence to prove that punishment was necessary.

"Well I've done the best that i can do here Miss White. I fear that that next time we shall meet, our mutual friend will be lying in a coffin and not his own bed. Good day." Doctor Swineheart picked up his coat and medical bag before turning and leaving through the door, closing it sharply behind him. Snow tentatively brought her left hand down to brush Bigby's hair out of his face. She quietly admired how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. The stress lines that usually defined his facial features relaxed, and he looked calm. She admitted that he still looked gruff, but in an appealing way. She would never normally use appealing as a word describe Bigby's face, but as she came to realise how much Fabletown needed someone who was willing to do what was needed, she also came to realise that the scars and marks that adorned his face were truly something that she had come to like about him.

She stood up and walked over to Colin. Intent on getting some information. She asked herself what Bigby would do in her situation. She was about to speak when Bigby screamed from his bed. She'd only ever heard him scream like that once before, when Bloody Mary had broken his arm. She'd subconsciously hoped that she'd never have to hear that sound again. When she turned to ask if he was ok, Bigby was still asleep, but he had began to make blood curdling yelps of pain ever couple of minutes. She turned back to Colin, to see him completely unfazed.

'Isn't he supposed to be your friend?" She asked, and not in a very nice manner. "You didn't seem at all concerned when he screamed" She accused.

"Eh," he replied, half heartedly, "I'm used to it by now". Snow wasn't quite sure what he meant.

"What do you mean used to it?" She inquired

"Isn't he supposed to be your friend? Shouldn't you know he has nightmare's? Every night. Poor guy practically screams himself to sleep nightly. He never forgot that beating he took from Bloody Mary. Wakes several times each night, all sweaty and screaming. I'm surprised you didn't know. I thought that he screamed loud enough for even your ears to hear up in your Ivory tower". He said, pointedly.

"What's that supposed to-"

"What's that supposed to mean? You know damn well what it means. Everyone on this floor, and i'd warrant, every other floor of this building, hears him scream at some point. Some even have the common decency to come up and ask if he's ok. But not you, you don't even hear him, and i think that's cause you don't want to. You keep him on a chain like a dog, only ever let him out to do your dirty work, always give him a hard time for the consequences of his actions on others, but you never consider the effect that it has on him. The way that being the bad guy tears him up inside. Are you sure he's your friend?"

Snow nodded slightly, afraid of what would happen next.

"Fine, i'll believe that. But ask yourself, are you sure that you his friend?" Snow didn't have an answer for that. She remembered all the times that she'd mistreated Bigby, all the times that she'd pushed him away when he'd only tried to help.

Snow, I almost lost you once, I-

I'm not your's to lose Bigby

Colin grew tired of waiting for her response and walked over to the couch, and started to sleep. Leaving Snow all alone with her thoughts.

Author's Note:

Well that was fun. Will probably add a second or third chapter. Thoughts? Reviews are really nice and helpful.