Chapter 1: Town Full of Issues
It was a typical morning in that sector of Manhattan not inhabited by members of the Mundane world. Another quiet morning in Fabletown, if the constant blaring of horns, roar of diesel engines, and other inescapable automotive ruckus found in the city could be considered quiet.
Ever since the prosecution of the Crooked Man, things had been rather quiescent. At least, for the sheriff of Fabletown, it had been.
On the walk outside the Business Office building, dressed in a pair of black slacks, a white button up shirt, and a black tie, stood Sheriff Bigby Wolf. Digging deep inside his pocket, he grasped the familiar, crinkled form of his pack of Huff N' Puff's and pulled it free. He let one rest on his bottom lip as he brought up a brass Zippo lighter and inhaled deeply. Like so many times before, that first inhale burned with a briefness he welcomed. After taking another drag he finally headed down the walk and through the door.
Bigby stalked past the counter and the big, waist high sign that had a picture of a cigarette with red circle and slash running through it on it. Once at the elevator, he jabbed a finger into the up arrow and took another drag off the Huff N' Puff.
It was the 1980s, therefore most anti-smoking laws had yet to be put into affect. Manhattan was currently not under such restrictions, and the sign was certainly placed there by Snow for no other purpose than to thwart the sheriff unsuccessfully. She knew better than most that Bigby lived by his own rules; most of the time. Really, he was trying to do less of that lately.
The elevator doors slid open with a ding. Bigby stepped in and rode it to the Business Office floor. When he stepped outside and rounded the corner, he wasn't surprised to see the line of people down the hall leading to the Business Office.
There was one sure thing about the Fables who came to Fabletown after the exodus; they were mostly poor. The residents in the area often had a lot of issues concerning money that they brought to the attention of the Business Office daily. Unfortunately, Bigby was one of the people they came to, since he worked there.
He made his way down the row of impatient residents, passing many familiar faces. Most of which avoided eye contact or acknowledging him at all.
Truth was that many of the Fables and other magical creatures were still scared of him. Some even more so than they used to be after that nasty business with the Crooked Man.
Being the sheriff wasn't exactly the best job choice for him since he'd been trying to turn over a new leaf. Bigby had finally come to realize this after being constantly thrown into situations where he was forced to deter away from his 'good wolf' persona. He was starting to believe that Fables were naturally inclined to mischief, which made his job of policing them and maintaining control all that more difficult. Of course, living in the poverty stricken conditions that most of them were didn't help matters. Even prominent members of the society, such as Beauty and Beast, were undergoing tough times, as he witnessed a few months ago.
Near the door, third in line, stood a more than familiar figure. Bigby's eyes automatically went to the folded up fabric pinned neatly where an arm should, and used to be. Since it happened it got so that every time he saw it, he felt worse about the whole thing.
"Bigby," Gren nodded in the sheriff's direction. Ever since the incident, Gren on the other hand, seemed more friendly. Maybe it was because Bigby put the fear of the Big Bad Wolf into him. After he ripped Grendel's arm from the socket, Bigby realized it was the wrong thing to do. However, it did allow him to finally get some answers, and in the end, Gren grew more respectful of him. Now it would appear that they were on good terms. Friends almost. Still, the sheriff couldn't help but feel guilty every time he saw the fable.
"I hope Snow's not making you wait too long," Bigby said with a nod.
"Same shit, different day, Sheriff." said Gren.
"How's Holly?" said Bigby, taking another hit off the cigarette, which was starting to taste lousy.
"Wondering why you haven't been around to clean out some of the barflies recently," he blinked, one eye pale and blind.
"You're one of the barflies, Gren."
"It's not me Holly's pissed about," he said. "There's some new pricks in town that've been showing up the past couple of weeks. Loud and rowdy, think they own the place. They're starting to make some of the old patron's antsy. If Holly gets mad enough, or a patron drunk enough...well, lets just say it'd be nice if you paid a visit to show your support for a locally owned bar in the future. Just make sure you come by so you can acquaintance yourself with the new customers."
"If any fights break out have Holly give me a call. I'm trying my damnedest to police this community without...excessive force. There's no reason for me to go in and-
"Be yourself?" Gren grinned. "Nothing wrong with putting the fear of the law into a few newcomers every now and then."
"Like I said, call me if anything happens," and with that Bigby nodded and walked into the Business Office.
He closed the door secure behind him. Checking in with the deputy mayor was first on his list of daily duties. Then he could go to his office, read through his inbox stacked high with complaints and letters from officials to see what was higher on his list of priorities first.
Inside the Business Office was huge, more like a library or a records keeping basement rather than a cozy room built for the mayor residing over a small sector—a few blocks really—of Manhattan. As it should be, large that is. Because this room alone held some of the oldest and most powerful artifacts and texts from the Homeland. From time to time you could even see a giant ship or two floating near the rafters. Of course, there were certain spells and enchantments that made this possible, seeing as how there was no way a ship could fit, much less fly in an office that appeared to be as small as this one was from the outside.
Once inside, Bigby took a glance around, yet Snow was no where in sight. Instead his brown eyes fell on an unfamiliar figure crouched down, pilfering through a stack of books and scrolls.
"Who the hell are you," Bigby said.
The figure jerked a little in surprise, then rose to his feet, turning towards the sheriff. It was a man, approximately the same chosen age as Bigby, maybe a few years younger. Who could tell, given all the magical enchantments fables used as well as their long lifespans? He was lean and about a head taller than the wolf himself. The man had a crop of raven black hair, gelled back with bangs sweeping his temples. As he approached, Bigby could see that he was dressed finely, in a maroon, silken shirt, with pressed black pants. There was an all too friendly smile on his face, reaching his very dark brown eyes. In dimmer lighting, Bigby was sure they would appear as black as his hair.
"I'm Luke," said the stranger. "You must be Sheriff Bigby Wolf. Nice to make your acquaintance," so called Luke extended a pale hand out towards him.
Bigby flicked his cigarette on the floor and smothered it out with his shoe. "Okay, Luke. I'm lookin' for Snow White. Have you seen her? Because there better be a damn good reason you've been left in here unattended going through things you have no business going through."
Luke's hand fell down at rest once it was obvious he wouldn't receive the return courtesy handshake he'd offered. "I'm—
"He's my secretary, Bigby." The voice came from one of the isles far off in the corner of the room. Sure enough, when she rounded the book case, it was Snow.
"Secretary?" said Bigby, giving Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome a skeptical up-down. "Kind of an effeminate job."
"Don't be such a male chauvinist, Bigby," Snow said with a scowl as she appeared beside Luke.
Bigby snorted in an unamused manner. "You know what I mean." Things had been odd, to say the least, between he and Snow since the the trial and some of the decisions he made before it. Maybe distant or a hell of a lot more on edge were better descriptive words for what was going on between them. Ever since then he'd been trying to figure out a way to fix things, but usually ended up making them worse.
"This is Luke Morpheus. He recently moved to Fabletown in search of a position in town affairs. Given his history, and our lack of help ever since King Cole's absence and Crane...went overseas, I decided to hire him," she said. "If you have any issues with my decision we can set up a meeting and talk later. Right now we're really busy."
Crossing muscled arms over his chest, Bigby said, "No one said I have an issue with your decision, Snow. The guy just surprised me is all."
"I'm right here, you know," mumbled Luke.
"You didn't have to say anything," said Snow, ignoring Luke as Bigby had.
A deep sigh escaped Bigby as he uncrossed his arms. "By the way, I noticed."
Snow raised an eyebrow. "Noticed what?"
"The long ass line from here to the other side of the building out there," said Bigby. "If you don't start seeing any of them soon they may start a riot." It was sarcastic, but given how things usually went at the office, there was no reason to believe it couldn't happen.
"I've been seeing them all morning," Snow assured him. "Then I got a call from King Cole. He wanted some information ASAP. That's what you just walked in to the middle of me and Luke looking for. Now that you're here, mind lending an extra pair of eyes?"
Bigby's mouth thinned into a straight line and he felt the beginnings of a growl threatening to rumble from his chest. The last thing he wanted to do in the morning was go digging through old texts and documents all for the guy whose absence left them in this mess in the first place. "Where's Bufkin? Shouldn't he be the one helping you with this kind of thing? It is his job."
"He is helping," Snow said.
"Really? Or maybe he's up in the rafters drinking again," Bigby said a little louder than usual. They each heard the sound of something busting on the floor with a crash; a bottle of booze no doubt. "The sooner we find it, the sooner we can attend to the needs of those people."
"Fine," said Bigby. "What are we looking for?"
"Something about a ring with this symbol on it," Luke pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Bigby. Scrawled on the piece of paper torn from a bigger sheet were three half circles facing back to back, much like a biohazard symbol, with a backwards Z running through it.
"Where have you looked so far?" asked Bigby, pocketing the design.
"I sent Bufkin to retrieve all the books containing enchanted rings, while Luke and I have been looking for books containing ancient symbols that may match that design," said Snow.
"Hmm," mused Bigby. There was something about the characters that seemed familiar in some way. It was a long shot, but he had an idea. "Bufkin!" Bigby called.
In a few moments Bufkin appeared from high up on the shelves, carried by green, furry wings. "Bigby," Bufkin said, landing on the desk with a handful of books. "I thought I had heard your voice earlier. How are you this morning, Sheriff?"
"A little cranky, thanks for asking. You know that book of family heirlooms we were looking through the other day?" It had been for one of the residents who said they'd had one of their family heirlooms stolen from their apartment about a week back. Because they didn't have a picture of it, Bigby had to look in the book for one. Surely enough he'd found a drawing of the necklace, but had yet to find the item itself. He'd even paid a visit to the Lucky Pawn, making sure to give the Jersey Devil a toothy grin when he arrived, but didn't find the jewelry there either.
"Oh yes," said Bufkin, pointing a finger up in conclusion. "I know exactly where I left it." Then he flew off to retrieve it.
"You think you saw that symbol somewhere in an heirloom book?" asked the newcomer Luke.
"It makes since," said Snow. "Rings are often passed down among Fables, enchanted or not.
" I know I saw it," said Bigby just as Bufkin rounded the corner and dropped the book on top of Snow's Desk. Bigby opened the book and thumbed through it until he felt like the section the symbol was in was getting close. Flipping over two more pages, he pushed the book for both Luke and Snow to see and placed his finger on the image. "Right here."
They leaned in closer to see, and Bigby felt Snow give him a look of surprise. She did that a lot. Was it so hard to believe that he was capable of figuring things out that quickly from time to time? He was the detective.
"Can you read these inscriptions, Bufkin?" asked Snow.
"Certainly," said the winged monkey, edging closer to the book. "'With these three rings comes great binding powers given to the three siblings of Dreamus. If all three should come together, none shall withstand the binder's embrace'"
"So why's old King Cole interested in this ring, or rings for that matter?" asked Bigby. 'Binder's embrace' may have sounded like a nice hug, but Bigby was willing to bet that the power these rings could hold over someone would be bad in the wrong hands.
"Someone seems to have tied to give the ring to him to pay off a debt. Cole apparently declined the offer and sent the woman on her way," said Snow.
"Son of a bitch," Luke said under his breath.
Bigby looked up at him under thick brows, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing..."
"Really?" the sheriff's eyebrow arched up suspiciously.
"It's just that, Fables are still so bad off that they have to offer things like this to pay off debts. What's worse is that it was probably stolen from one of the sibling's relatives," Luke said, obviously tore up about the whole thing. It seemed a little odd to Bigby, but maybe Snow really had made a good decision in hiring him if he was so passionate about the well being of the community.
"Anyway," said Snow. "I'll call Cole and tell him what we found. Meanwhile, why don't you send in the next guest, Luke?"
Like an obedient puppy, Luke went to let in the next guest. Bigby had to reprimand himself for that though, since it was an insult others often used on him. He was still on the fence about this new guy.
"Passionate pup, isn't he?" he said lowly to Snow as she went around to phone King Cole.
"Be nice," she said, giving him this look that he both loved and hated.
Shrugging his shoulders he said, "What? I was only making an observation. It's part of the job."
Snow rolled her eyes dismissively and began to dial Cole's number. Taking the hint, Bigby left Snow to her business and headed towards where Bufkin was, near the Magic Mirror stacking books.
"How can I be of assistance to you?" said Bufkin, without turning to speak to him. Was he giving Bigby the cold shoulder because of earlier?
"Bufkin, I didn't mean to be an asshole earlier," said Bigby in his defense. "It's just that Snow was on me the minute she saw me."
"Not to worry, Bigby," the green monkey turned to him with a smile. "Even I've noticed her coldness towards you lately."
Taking a look over his shoulder making sure Snow was out of ear shot before lowering his voice to a near whisper, Bigby said, "Has she talked to you about it?"
"Maybe," said Bufkin.
"What do you mean, 'maybe'?"
"If you want to talk to our Lady of White, you should do it yourself instead of using others as a buffer. Unless of course you're too scared to face her."
"Bufkin," Bigby growled. Bufkin simply turned back to his books and began organizing once again. "Fine. Lady of White, huh? Maybe I'll use—
"You have to let me talk to her RIGHT NOW!" Came a hysterical voice from behind him. Bigby turned on his heels and saw a distraught woman making her way to Snow whose eyes grew wider as she tried to end the conversation with Cole on the other line. Bigby took a step forward, preparing to hold the woman back if she tried to go after Snow.
"I have been waiting out in that damned hall all morning while my baby sits at home unconscious with the doctor," said the woman with a tear streaked face. She had blond hair, thrown up into a bun in a hurry. Her heart shaped face was blotchy and red. If not for that and her blood shot eyes, Bigby was sure she was probably an attractive woman usually.
Setting the phone back into its cradle, Snow went around to the front of her desk and began talking the woman down. "Calm down, Mrs. Hamilton. Tell me what's the reason for your visit? I'm sure we can help you."
Mrs. Hamilton eyed Bigby and then Luke. "What are they doing here? I don't feel comfortable expressing my predicament in front of them."
"Bigby is the sheriff and has just as much a voice in some of these matters as I do. And Luke is my secretary, he has to be here," Snow told her.
For a moment it appeared as if Mrs. Hamilton was going to argue further, but instead she surprised them all when she broke down and began sobbing, her whole body shaking from the fit. Snow crossed the distance and went to Mrs. Hamilton to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"There, there," she said, pulling a handkerchief from her inside pocket and handing it to the distraught woman. "Tell us what's going on."
After a few more minutes of sniffling and dabbing at her face, Mrs. Hamilton fought through sobs and said, "It's my boy! He's sick."
"Sick how?" asked Bigby since no one else did.
"I-I don't now. He was fine when I put him to bed last night, but when I went to wake him for school he wouldn't wake up," said Mrs. Hamilton, blowing her nose.
"What do you mean wouldn't wake up?" inquired Bigby.
"Meaning he's in a coma, you big oaf!" Mrs. Hamilton spat.
Obviously she was one of the town folk who was still scared of him, and hated him for it. Bigby gritted his teeth; she was distraught. If she hadn't been in such a state, with her nerves shot over worry for her son, Bigby may have taken even more offense to that. Instead he bit back his tongue, keeping it from saying anything offensive.
"At least, that's what the doctor said," she continued. "When I found him he wouldn't respond no matter what I did. When I turned him over I felt like my heart was ready to jump out of me in fear. His eyes were covered with crust so thick I don't think he could have opened if he wasn't in a coma."
"Weird," said Luke, musing over what they all just heard.
"So what do you need our help with, "Mrs. Hamilton?" Snow asked in a soothing voice.
"Things have been hard lately," she said, chocking back another sob. "His condition is so bad that I have to commit him to the hospital. I have a little in savings but it isn't enough. I need a loan."
Money was the main reason people paid visits to the Business Office, Bigby knew. They'd been coming more often and in bigger groups since the Crooked Man was 'exiled' down the Witching Well. Now they didn't have a crime lord to go to for their loans, which was better for them in the long run. It saved many from getting caught in a web of debt they couldn't escape. However, the Business Office funds were limited. As much as Bigby hated to admit it, if not for the generous donations of Bluebeard, they'd have even less funds to help out the community of Fabletown.
"I'll do everything in my power to make sure you get the money you need," promised Snow. "In fact, all of us here will do whatever it takes. Even Sheriff Bigby," Snow glanced up at him. "But I still need you to fill out some paperwork." Snow then guided Mrs. Hamilton around to sit in her chair and fill out loan approval paperwork.
Bigby wondered that if Mrs. Hamilton wasn't approved for the loan if Snow woulds still make sure she got it somehow? She'd been able to pull strings and get things accomplished like that before. Maybe she could again.
After Mrs. Hamilton was finished, Snow gave her a few reassuring words and sent her on her way before asking Luke to send in the next guest. Meanwhile Bigby sat patiently on the sidelines, waiting for the opportunity to talk to Snow himself.
When it came time for Gren's turn to meet with the deputy mayor, Bigby was getting impatient. He had matters to take care of himself. There was a stack of paperwork in his own office and he knew his inbox was full of unread papers. He'd purposely put those off yesterday and couldn't wait much longer.
Gren had a simple request to bring forth to Snow. He wanted to sign for ownership of a few magical items offered to him by a family member. Yet that wasn't his only reason for paying a visit today. Of course he had to ask, he had been for a couple of months now. Gren wanted to see some kind of compensation for the damages done to the bar caused by none other than Bigby's brawls with various people inside of it; Gren included. Holly also made a visit once to request for repair costs through the Business Office, seeing as how Bigby was a city official. Bigby's eye twitched in irritation.
"Of course, if the sheriff would only come by and consider what I told him about earlier, maybe the damages can be forgotten," said Gren.
Just as Snow was about to argue their case in the same old song and dance as before, Bigby spoke up. "I'll come by the Trip Trap bar later this evening and take care of your problem."
Gren smiled at him, satisfied of the trap he'd laid.
"What problem?" asked Snow, with concern.
"Just some drifters Holly's been having problems with," Bigby assured her. "Gren, you have to promise Mayor Snow that if I do this it settles things between us. No more haggling or asking us to pay for damages, for what? A pool table?"
"And a stool," said Gren.
"Whatever." Bigby's eyes couldn't help but wander to Gren's empty sleeve. "Do we have a deal?" said Bigby.
"Sure thing, Sheriff." With that Gren took his copies of paperwork and left.
Unable to wait any longer, Bigby went to Snow's desk and leaned against it. She looked up at him from her chair in annoyance. Yes, he was purposely invading her space.
"Hey, mind going down the hall and grabbing us both a cup of coffee?" Bigby said over his shoulder to Luke.
Luke bristled at that, "I'm not an errand boy."
"Really? I thought that was what secretaries were for. Running errands," challenged Bigby.
"I only run errands for Miss White. Not anyone else, and especially not you," Luke stared Bigby down with angry, almost black, eyes.
"Knock it off, both of you," said Snow, her brows drawn in an irritated line. "Luke, will you please just give the sheriff and I a moment?"
With hesitation Luke finally gave up and exited the office with quick strides. Once the door was closed, Bigby relaxed a little, only to look down and meet the glare from Snow, making him rigid once again.
"What's this about?" she asked, getting to her feet.
"That guy? Really?" said, Bigby, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes 'that guy'. We've been swamped since the Crooked Man was thwarted, and between me, you and Bluebeard there hasn't been enough help. I had to hire someone." Snow went about straightening up her desk, shuffling papers and stacking books for Bufkin to replace in their respective homes on the shelves.
"Maybe you have been, but I haven't had so much as a domestic dispute in weeks," Bigby complained as he watched Snow continue her task of organizing. "Snow," Bigby said, placing his hand over hers, which was in the process of aligning the stapler with the tape dispenser. Snow stopped what she was doing, and met his eyes with her own. "You know that if you need help, all you have to do is ask and I will?"
"I know," said Snow, pulling her hand out from underneath his. She nervously tucked a loose lock of black hair behind her ear before busying herself with cleaning up again. "Besides, I though you would be happy that things have been so quiet lately."
"Contrary to popular belief I am," he said, recalling that time she asked him if he enjoyed it when things went bad. Which he didn't. At least, not anymore. "I'm thrilled things aren't bad right now. Just a little bored. The only thing that seems to be going on in Fabletown is that a lot of people's stuff keeps going missing."
"Hmm," mused Snow. "I've gotten a lot of complaints about that too. In fact," Snow pulled a paper from her inbox and handed it to Bigby. Bigby took the letter and began reading it.
Dear Snow White,
Several of my tenants are coming to me with complaints of having some of their personal items taken right from their homes. At first I chalked it down to them simply misplacing their own items in places they had yet to look. Then something unexpected happened and I too discovered that one of my personal effects was missing. Would you be so kind as to ask if the sheriff if he could come by and have a look around? That is, if it wouldn't be a bother.
Hope it's not too much to ask
Sincerely,
Peter C.
When he was finished reading, Bigby placed the letter back on Snow's desk. "Why didn't he just send this letter to me?" Bigby asked, a little annoyed.
"Peter Cottontail's one of the Fables who is still a little scared of you," she gave him a sympathetic look. "Anyway, he's running the apartments that Mr. Toad used to. Mind swinging by and checking it out for me?"
For her. Of course Bigby would if Snow said it was for her. "Sure," he said. Just as he was about to ask if there was anything else Snow needed to inform him of, Luke opened the door, followed by the next guest in line.
Bigby clenched his teeth, making his scruff covered jaw stand out against his tanned skin. Without asking, Luke had went ahead and brought in the next client before asking if Bigby and Snow were finished. And Bigby certainly was not finished with this conversation. In fact, he still had a lot of questions, most of which pertaining to Luke himself.
Yet after taking one look at the next Client, Bigby held off any snide remarks he had in store for Luke. She looked worried, her brown hair thrown up in a messy bun quite like the blonde woman earlier. Her eyes were also red and puffy.
After exchanging a look with Bigby, Snow beckoned for the woman to come in and have a seat. Unlike Mrs. Hamilton, this woman wasn't' nearly as outwardly distraught, but Bigby could still sense that something was troubling her deeply.
"How can I help you, Mrs?" said Snow, waiting for the woman to give her name.
"Templeton," said the woman.
"What's the reason for your visit to the Business Office today, Mrs. Templeton?"
Mrs. Templeton wrung her hands over the handle of the purse she was holding. "It's my boy," she said. "He was fine a couple of nights ago, but when I went to wake him up the morning before last, he wouldn't. Now he's in the hospital under a coma."
This time Bigby and Snow exchanged a look of surprise simultaneously, each searching for the same thing, but like looking in a mirror image of themselves, finding only confusion.
Hello! This is only my second shot at attempting to write a story, and my first shot at attempting to write one based off of the hit Telltale game The Wolf Among Us, based off of the comic series Fables. I don't claim to know much of anything about the comic series, therefore most of my information is based off of the game itself, which is set before the series, and my own knowledge of fairy tales, fables and myths. I just loved the game, the characters (mainly Bigby) and the idea. So now I am trying my hand at something other than Resident Evil.
I don't claim any rights. This will be a mystery based fanfiction, much like the videogame. I hope to expand more on Snow and Bigby's relationship (or fix whatever the heck happened to it in the first game) and I'll be introducing more characters. Some will be OC, some are a part of the comic series. Since I don't know a lot about the comics, this will be mainly AU, while trying to stay true to the characters and settings.
Anyway, tell me what you think. I have a lot in store and hope I don't give it all away too early in the story. I'm a little nervous about this whole mystery thing.