A/N: Hope you guys enjoy!
Despite the clear night, Archie clutched his umbrella close to him. He liked to be prepared.
He nodded to every passerby on the sidewalk; everyone knew everyone in this town. He never knew why he took these walks, nothing ever changed. He never had a destination, but his feet always led him near Granny's.
He checked his watch and grimaced. He was late. Her shift was over.
Every night he liked to imagine himself there when she got off, before she went out for drinks. He liked to imagine inviting her to finish his walk with him, to his home for coffee…
And then what? He asked himself. Invite her to stay the night?
He wanted nothing more than for her to stay with him this night, the night after, and all the nights to come, but he didn't dare disrespect her by playing out his fantasies in his head. She deserved more than the casual men who sought her every night and undressed her with their eyes.
Every night he imagined what he would say to her should the occasion arise. He liked to be prepared.
He rounded the corner and stopped dead.
He was not prepared for that.
Dr. Whale and Ruby were close together, talking in hushed voices. Obviously they were holding an intense, passionate conversation, and Archie had to look away.
He made to circle around Mr. Gold's estate to arrive back at his humble home, but before he could get too far he heard her cry out.
"I said let go of me! Let go!"
Archie whirled around to see the two of them standing there again, but the scene was twisted, altered. He noticed the white-knuckled grip around her wrist and the scrunch of her face that conveyed anger, pain, and a hint of fear.
Archie glanced around. No one was near enough to hear her. Even if they could, he doubted they would do anything. Whale was under the mayor's protection. If anyone attacked him, they attacked her.
Summoning all the courage he had, he approached and tapped Whale on the shoulder.
"I believe the lady told you to let go."
Without waiting for a response, Archie whacked Whale on the head with his umbrella, knocking him to the pavement.
A tense moment of silence occurred while they waited for the doctor to jump back up, but he only lay there, whimpering into the concrete.
Archie's eyes were as round as a cricket's as he looked at his handiwork. A surprised and slightly hysterical sound escaped his lips as the full force of what he had done hit him.
"Archie," Ruby breathed, and his eyes immediately snapped to her. A sense of relief rushed through him once he remembered he had a good reason to physically assault another human being. "That was…" her voice faded out, no words could complete the sentence.
A noise from the recovering doctor stole away their attention and her features morphed into worry.
"You should probably get out of here. Once he gets up…"
"Would you like to finish my walk with me?" he cut her off with an unfamiliar confidence in his voice. "It might help you cool down from all this."
She smiled. "I'd love to."
Still riding on his wave of confidence, Archie offered his arm and she took it without hesitation. In his other hand, he gripped his umbrella tighter. He liked to be prepared.
A/N: Did you like it? I honestly can't wait to find out which fairytale Dr. Whale belongs to. I have a couple of theories, but each one is unlikely as the last. All I know so far is he's a creep and I don't like him.
Anyway, please review! It takes less than a minute and keeps me happy and writing for such a long time after!