One Night Stand

He was sleeping peacefully. That was until she let out a yelp and scrambled out of bed, exclaiming that she couldn't believe how late it was already. He opened his eyes to see her in her red lingerie grabbing a pair of black pants from the floor. He watched her amusedly tugging them over her hips.

"Ruby!" her grandmother called. "Are you finally up?"

Her eyes shot to the closed door. "Uh, yes, Granny!"

"Well, I made some breakfast. Do you want me to bring it to you?"

"No, no!" She must've noticed she sounded panicky because she composed herself before continuing, "You don't have to do that."

"It's fine. I have some laundry to bring you anyway."

Ruby bit her lip, and she spun around to face him. She pointed a finger at him. "You need to leave."

Victor had his back pressed against her headboard. The only thing covering him was the sheet across his lap. He smiled at her.

"I don't really see the problem," he answered. "You're a grown woman."

"I know I am. I'm a grown woman that got a little drunk and ended up sleeping with the town doctor."

"Well, to be fair, we were both a little drunk last night." His eyes glittered, but her frown remained, causing one to form on his face. "Listen, you can do anything-or anyone-you want. Your grandmother can't condemn you for it."

"Yeah, well most grandmothers don't carry a crossbow, and I don't want you dying because of me." Her head spun towards the door as footsteps came closer. She looked back at Victor, pleading with him. "Come on; you need to go."

He sighed. "Fine." He found his boxers on the floor, and before long, he was clasping the belt of his pants. He looked around. "Have you seen my shirt?"

Ruby looked frustrated. It wasn't as though he lost his shirt on purpose. The way they were going last night, he was sure it ended up on the other side of the room. Sure enough, that was where Ruby found it.

"It was fun," he commented as he buttoned his shirt and smoothed the collar.

Ruby actually smiled, though it was thin. "Fun? Yes. A mistake? Definitely." She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "And it's never happening again."

Victor tried not to seem too disappointed. He understood where she was coming from, but he couldn't help but think that she didn't want to be with him again because she actually didn't have fun.

"Of course not."

Suddenly, there was a swift knock at the door, and Ruby almost jumped. Victor had to hide the smile.

"See you around, Red." He winked before slipping out of her bedroom window, with his coat and scarf draped over his arm.

As he started to make his way toward the hospital-he left his car at the diner-he turned back towards Ruby's window. He could see her silhouette against the curtains, the slim, curvy body he had the pleasure of exploring the night before. A sudden smile crossed his lips, accompanied by a slight churn in his stomach. Victor ignored it and continued his way to work.

"You're late."

"Good morning to you, too, Nurse Collins," he responded to the short, stocky woman that was staring coldly at him. She had her hands on her hips, and not for the first time, he wondered who she was back in the Enchanted Forest. He could never find anyone he knew from the Land Without Color, so she wasn't anyone he associated with.

"I thought the curse being broken meant you weren't going to be so... " She struggled to find the right words. "Dr. Whale."

Victor rolled his eyes. "I didn't get much sleep last night." She narrowed her eyes at him. He didn't feel embarrassed. After all, it wasn't a lie; he didn't get much sleep, not when he was groaning Ruby's name and pressing kisses to her neck. "So, who am I seeing?"

Nurse Collins jerked her head toward the room on the left where Victor could see Henry and David. Henry was sitting on the bed, his leg outstretched. Victor entered the room, and he could see that Henry's ankle was beginning to swell.

"Hello. What seems to be the problem?"

"We were sword fighting," Henry answered. "And I fell."

Victor exchanged a brief, yet polite smile with David. He could always feel the tension between them whenever they were in each other's vicinity; sleeping with Mary Margaret may have had something to do with it.

He knelt down in front of Henry and took his ankle in his hands, squeezing softly; Henry hissed in pain. "It's a minor sprain," he said. "Consider yourself lucky. Not to say a sprain is a good thing," he added when David looked like he was going to protest. "But, considering you were sword fighting, you could've ended up with a lot worse." He began wrapping Henry's ankle with a bandage. "It's not too bad that you'll need crutches, but you should take it easy. Don't put too much weight on it, and for the time being, no more playing with the swords."

Henry nodded. "Thanks, Dr. Whale."

"My pleasure."

As Henry hobbled out of the room, being careful not to put too much weight on his injured ankle, David turned to Victor.

"Thanks for that."

"It's my job."

"Where were you, by the way?"

"Just slept in," he simply said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I do have other duties." He brushed past David on his way out of the room. He resisted the urge to look back to see if David was giving him one of those mistrustful stares he had since learning about Victor's relationship with Mary Margaret.