As he heard someone stepping in the room, Bigby looked up from the papers.
"Snow? I thought you were busy with talking some sense to Crane…" he mumbled, although he didn't mind seeing her at all. He would have even smiled at her, did he have the courage.
"Well, yes. Looks like I'm better at persuading than I thought" she shrugged simply and gave him a slightly sly smile. Bigby frowned. This was something new.
"That's a good thing, I guess…" he nodded slowly and turned his head back towards the file he was reading. He heard Snow White walking closer to him and much to his surprise, the woman took away the file from him and put it to the table. He looked up at questioningly.
"I think we have both worked enough for today. Let's go and get some sleep, right?" she said with a smile and put her hand to the man's arm gently.
"That's a good idea" he offered the smallest of a smile in return. "But I'll just finish reading that first, alright? I promise it won't take long…" he said and reached for the file.
"No, Bigby. It really was enough for one day. We barely started this whole investigation and two Fables are already dead. You need a rest more than anyone" Snow White insisted and grabbed the other's arm, stopping him from getting the papers. She tugged him to his feet gently and stepped closer, looking into his eyes with a gentle smile. "Just go and get some rest, okay? We will look through that the first thing in the morning, I promise"
"I…" he wanted to protest but Snow was smiling at him like that, with that smile he could never resist. "Alright, fine. Let's get some sleep. I'm not saying I couldn't use it…"
"That's good to hear. I don't want you overwork yourself…" she sighed and kept looking at his eyes. "Did you find anything so far?" she motioned towards the file on the table.
"No, not yet, but I barely started with it. It'll take some time but I'll get to find out who's this Georgie really is…" he said frowning as his thoughts circled around the pimp.
"I don't think he deserves that much research…" Snow White said maybe a little too fast and it made Bigby look at him with raised eyebrows. "I mean, don't get me wrong, but he is just a pimp… You said yourself that the guy told you everything with a little… persuasion. Maybe that's all he has to do with the case…"
"I don't think, Snow. The guy's been trying to deny everything he knew. He still has a few things he'd like to keep hidden" Bigby shook his head, and looked at her with a frown. "Why are you trying to defend him so suddenly? I thought we agreed on his case…"
"Things are changing, Bigby" she answered quickly and shrugged, not looking away from his eyes. "We got to know more about him, and that made me reconsider some things… Isn't it what we are supposed to be doing? Conclude things logically according to what we know?"
"That's right but this is… It's just a bit of a sudden change, you know" Bigby said slowly and looked at her unsurely, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Really? I just thought things over… Nothing sudden in it" Snow White shrugged and put her hand to Bigby's arm, then slid it up on his arm to his shoulder, taking a step towards him. "You seem so tense. I know it's not an easy case, it makes me worry myself sick too. But try to relax a bit, okay? For me?" she smiled at him and leaned a bit closer.
"If… if you say so…" the Sheriff mumbled and looked at her with slightly wide eyes. All the touching and her sudden closeness sent his heart racing and he didn't quite know what to do now. "But we really have to look through that file the first thing in the morning…"
"Would you" Snow White started, raising her voice. "just forget about that pimp for a minute? Please? You run your mind too much over him, you will end up missing important clues if you concentrate on strictly one thing…" she sighed and put her other hand on the man's chest.
"I… don't think so, Snow…" he mumbled as he got more embarrassed. He slowly, unsurely put his hands to her waist, with strictly the aim of pushing her away but somehow he didn't get to it. "What are you doing?" he whispered, looking at her confused.
"Nothing. What would I be doing?" Snow White looked at him, raising her elegant eyebrows innocently. "I'm taking care of you because you would obviously overwork yourself… Over something so silly as a useless file…" she shook her head with that sly smile on her lips again, and smoothed a hand against the Sheriff's cheek.
"Snow, I…" Bigby started but had no idea how he was going to finish that. Snow White was so close to him, she was right in his arms, leaning only closer and he could smell her sweet perfume. He felt her hand on his cheek draw him closer and he couldn't help but let himself be taken over by the sweet temptation as he leaned in to kiss her.
Bigby had been waiting for this for years. Even decades, really. But the kiss felt just… not as amazing as he thought it would. Sure, his heart was going crazy and his thoughts were a complete mess but he had always imagined that he would feel a spark between them… Maybe it was missing because the woman didn't feel anything? His heart ached at the thought but he refused to believe it because she was returning the kiss and leaning against him.
"Alright, Bigby, I'm finished with Crane, we can get to- work?" Snow White walked in to the office but she stopped at the door as she noticed the man kissing with – herself?
Bigby pulled away from the kiss the moment he heard the voice and looked at the woman standing at the door, then at the one in his arms confused.
"What the hell?" he said gaping and took a step back from the Snow White he had been embracing just a moment ago but gently took a hold of her arm, just to be sure. "Alright. One of you should tell me what the fuck is going on!" he said, his voice was back to the normal, strict and demanding tone he always used when he was serious.
"I- I don't know, I was with Crane until just a moment ago when I walked in on you and… her kissing" the Snow White in the door replied confused and her gaze was jumping between Bigby and the other Snow White.
"She's obviously lying, Bigby. You can ask Crane, I left him about ten minutes ago. He probably would tell you the same I did" the Snow White whose arm he was holding looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "You know that I'm telling the truth, don't you?"
Bigby stayed silent as he watched the two women. They looked perfectly alike, no one would be able to tell who was the real one. Fucking Glamour did a good job.
"You… were trying to talk me into forgetting about Georgie" he stated, turning towards the Snow White he had just been kissing with.
"She was doing what? You can't obviously listen to her, that's an important clue!" the Snow White in the doorway protested. "If we just forget about clues, we won't have any lead!"
"That's right" Bigby nodded at her, then turned back toward the woman right next to him and tightened his grip on her arm. "So who are you and why do you look like Snow?" he asked with an angered, threatening tone.
"Fuck…" she whispered and scowled, looking away.
"Don't make it any worse for yourself! You are the second fucking fake Snow that tries to trick me, so you better get talking, or you'll go down the Witching Well in the next second. Understand me?" he growled as he leaned closer to her, snarling.
"Right, right… This is shit" she muttered, and looked away.
"So? What's going on? Who are you, really?" the real Snow White asked as she walked closer and stopped right beside Bigby, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"I am nobody, really… Georgie made me do this… He doesn't want to get into any more trouble than he is in already. He wanted me to divert your attention away from him, that's it. The best way for it was to use your only weakness…" she admitted everything and looked away from them.
At that sentence Bigby glanced at Snow a little nervously and found her looking at him, eyebrows raised and mouth opening as if she were to say something, but closed it without a word. Bigby was grateful for that.
"I'm just working for him, I don't know anything… I swear…" she muttered silently.
"Alright. You now go… wherever you can go as fast as you can, with attracting the least attention you can. Wait there till the Glamour wears off and tell Georgie that we do not appreciate his attempts to cover the truth" he ordered her strictly and gave her a stern look. "Understand me?"
"I can't just go back, he'll kill me!" the lookalike whined in horror at thought.
"Fine. Then tell him that we know who you are and if he as much as lays a finger on you, we'll find him" the Sheriff added and looked at her eyes. "You do as I said. I ask again – do you understand me?"
"Y-yes, sir!" she nodded immediately with fear filling her eyes. Bigby didn't understand how he could honestly believe it was Snow White. She had nothing from the grace and aura of determination the real Snow had. He released her arm and let her go.
"I… guess this was enough for today. We should get some rest" he suggested turning towards Snow White rather awkwardly when they were left alone but didn't look at her.
"Maybe" she nodded but then sighed. "I can't believe this… Why are they copying me?" she shook her head exhausted but suddenly stopped and looked at the man beside him. For a few moments she just kept looking at him, then turned his head away. "Your only weakness, she said… So… am I supposed to be your only weakness?"
Bigby stayed silent at the question. Snow saw him kissing with the girl that looked just like her, she knew how much he lost it when he thought she was dead, and she probably noticed how embarrassed he got when the hooker said that. There was no point in trying to deny it was true but he just couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"You are saying yes with that silence… Are you?" Snow White looked at him, tilting her head a bit.
"Look, Snow, I'm sorry…" the Sheriff started apologizing embarrassed, thinking that it was the only way to go, but he was cut off by her.
"That's actually… pretty sweet from you" she said with a warm smile and a soft blush tinted her cheeks pink, surprising him.
"Sweet?" he repeated the word. "What does it mean by you?" he asked a bit unsurely. Sweet hadn't meant too much hope when it came to women usually… Though he knew that Snow White was anything but usual.
"It means that…" she started but paused for a moment, biting her lip softly, thinking of the right words to say before continuing. "I should have noticed the way you are looking at me a lot earlier" she smiled at him and stepped closer to him, a bit awkwardly resting both of her hands on his chest.
"Snow…" Bigby whispered and laid his hands over hers, squeezing them gently and holding them on their place.
"I love you, Bigby" she said, looking right into his eyes. "Have I known you feel the same, I probably would have already told you."
"I love you too, Snow" he answered, leaning closer and pressed their lips together. He finally said it, he finally heard it from her, and he was finally kissing her.
And now, oh, now he was feeling the sparks. He was feeling the electricity running through him, making his heart go crazy and his thoughts disappear. He could only focus on her and wished they could stay like this forever. He knew that this was impossible, that he would soon, too soon, have to let go of her and return to the nightmare they now called reality. But he didn't honestly care – after all, he finally knew that his love was returned.