Hi Everyone, First I would like to say to anyone reading this that if you read my other story The Outlaw's Princess I'm grateful for all the reviews, favourites and follows
On a more serious note this story was prompted by a dear, dear friend of mine and I chose the Once Upon A Time Fandom and Victor Frankenstein and Ruby Lucas, I am telling you now that this story contains rape so if that is a trigger for anyone it's best to stop reading here. I hope I have done this story as well as the topic justice and what is written in this story is nothing has nothing to do with my own opinion neither am I hoping to use this story to influence anyone else's on weather or not Ruby should have kept her baby. I am stating this here in the Author's Note as I did once have another story like this that prompted awkward question's
Now that that's over with it's time for the Disclaimer-I don't own Once Upon A Time or Red/Victor or the situation.
Please, Read and Review and let me know what you think-but please no flames!
The Pining Doctor and the Broken Wolf
When Victor finds Ruby in the aftermath of a horrific crime, he steps in to take care of her to be her protector no matter what his feelings are and to protect her baby. Does contain trigger warnings of rape
Victor didn't hear it until it was too late. The small whimper as he was walking to his car, that made him stop and raise the hairs on the back of his neck. He turned around to walk down the alley and nearly tripped over something. He stumbled back nearly falling over when he heard another whimper. There was a woman curled over on her side curled around herself her skirt torn and her dark hair covering her face.
Victor grimaced to himself. While Storybrooke was generally a safe place there were the occasional people (mainly the soldiers of the mad and rabid King George) that didn't seem to notice the difference of the times and still treated the town like it was a conquered kingdom. Bending down (he was a doctor and a gentlemen) he gently reached out a hand to touch the young woman on her shoulder.
"Excuse me Miss?" he said gently brushing a curl of dark hair back, at that moment he realised that the dark curl was red. Dark hair with red streaks. He felt his blood go cold, and bile rise in his throat because he knew of only one girl who had that kind of hair-he was in love with her after all.
"Ruby?" he whispered, and he nearly burst into tears when he heard an answering groan, he gently leaned over curling a hand under her elbow, and gently helping her stagger to her feat. He felt a wave of rage sweep over him as he looked at her, Ruby the bright and vicious and beautiful women that had saved him and had fallen in love with had been violated and wronged and he wanted someone to pay-he wanted blood.
"Whale" she slurred before staggering into him her heels having broken. Victor slung her up into his arms bridal style before staggering to his car. He slid her in the front before placing his jacket over her to stop the shivering. "It's ok Ruby" he whispered sliding into the car "I'm just going to take you to the hospital" she shuddered once before gripping his hand with her dirk caked nails the red varnish standing out on her white skin "No," she whispered "To many people, your house please" she begs.
How long had he waited to her those words come out of her mouth? And now the moment he was hearing them was all wrong. He nodded once. He could do a basic check-up at home and then ring Granny Lucas after. With that in mind he put the car in reverse and swung out of the main road.
When he got to his big house at the edge of Storybrooke Ruby had stopped shivering though she had replaced the shivers with bone racking sobs that just cut through him each and every time. He got out and was marginally pleased with how Ruby stood on her own to feat, slipping his arm around her to support her and help her into the living room.
Once she was seated on the long leather sofa he managed to get her a glass of water. Looking at her Victor blinked back tears as he saw the black eye and the scratches down her arms and handprints down her legs. "Oh sweetheart" he says softly watching her eyelids flutter. He bits his lip and goes to make the call to Granny.
The days after the attack (because Ruby won't call it rape-she won't let that word define her) are the worst. She ended up at Victor's she knows that and she remembers Granny coming over her old face white and her eyes brimming with tears and anger and then she remembers Emma coming in to ask questions her face all tense and sympathetic. She went to her room after that and wrapped herself in her Granny's bed and cried herself to sleep.
The days after she spent the days with Belle at the library and her and Rumple's daughter (so cleverly named Laci) Belle didn't pressure her to talk just did her work while Ruby stayed in the back with the baby. She hadn't even see Doctor Whale since the incident and she realised that she wanted to explain. But she didn't really know what to say to him.
Ruby didn't realise that something wasn't write until at least three months afterwards. She still wasn't much better, she didn't work in the dinner anymore and she realised that she couldn't stand big crowds of people. Her becoming a wolf had changed as well virtually disappearing and she hated that a complete unknown had managed to strip herself bare of the confident girl she was before into a recluse that could barely get out of bed except to throw up what little food she ate.
It was Granny who realised something was wrong with her. She came into her room at three in the morning disturbing Ruby's depressed thoughts with her sniffing, "Red" she said softly scraping Ruby's hair back from her head "Have you been using anything new, lately? Shower Gel, Shampoo, Conditioner or anything else?" Ruby shook her head sitting up for what felt like the first time in months clutching her old red hoody around her shoulders. Granny gave a long sigh and Ruby could see something that looked like tears in her eyes before she blinked them away. "Darling" she said gently carding one of Ruby's greasy curls "I think we need to go and see Doctor Whale"
Victor had been silently going mad. The last three months he had barely seen Ruby since the incident and with the soldiers of King George all covering up for whichever one of those bastards had hurt Ruby, he had never seen her outside of her apartment and the library, and short of accosting Rumplestilskin wife as she was walking their baby home after a day at the library (and Victor wasn't that stupid) he was falling short of ideas on what to do.
He needn't have worried for much longer however as Granny Lucas herself appeared her old face white like it had been that night he had rang her and told her about Ruby. Standing behind her was Ruby herself only she didn't really look like Ruby, she looked like a ghost, her hair was lank the red streaks fading against the black. Her eyes were drawn and dark in her pale face and unseeing and Victor was sure if it wasn't for Granny's arm tight on her wrist she would have stumbled. She was wearing an old red hoodie that looked as if it had seen better days and a pair of black leggings and black combat boots with the laces undone.
"Mrs Lucas" he said sitting up from where he was trying to read a file. He smiled hesitantly at Ruby "Ruby" he said quietly receiving a small nod in return "What can I do for you today?" he asked gesturing for them both to sit down. Granny spoke without preamble "Well Doctor" she said "I think that Ruby is pregnant" there was moment when Victor wasn't sure he could speak, his eyes turned to Ruby who was staring at her fingers her eyes filled with tears.
He swallowed once before reminding himself that he was a professional, and that Ruby was now his patient.
A few tests later confirmed that she was pregnant.
When Ruby left the office later with a bunch of pamphlets on every option she could have (ranging from abortion, to adoption to keeping the child) Victor snapped at his assistant not to page him for at least three hours, opened the 23 year old bottle of single malt scotch, he had been saving for one of his baddest bad days and drank until he cried.
Ruby had been sat in her bedroom for another two days after the news broke that she was pregnant. Snow, Belle, Emma and even Regina had tried to speak to her and pull her out never mind the constant interruptions from Granny. Ruby had just locked the door and told Granny that she needed to think, alone and in private. She had to seriously think about whether or not she wanted to have the baby, her baby, she had to think about whether she could be a mom and love this baby.
When she came out of hiding, she walked straight into the bathroom and ran the bath full to the brim with scalding water. Looking at herself in the mirror Ruby could see the tell-tale signs of pregnancy, even at three (nearly four) months along she could see the small bump already forming. While her black eye and her scratches had faded over time there was still a large bruised handprint over her hip and her left thigh.
Once in the bath Ruby scrubbed herself clean uncaring about how hot the water was and uncaring of how red her skin was and how she was rubbing herself raw. Once she had decided her skin was clear she turned to her hair, scrubbing herself with shampoo and conditioner, when she was satisfied she was as clean as she could be she wrapped herself in a thick heavy towel. She walked back into her room going through the motions until her hair was blown dry, she then pulled on a clean pair of underwear, a thick red jumper and dark leggings with her black boots, she tied her hair up in a ponytail and stared at herself resolutely in the mirror.
As she was staring at herself her hand found it's way to her belly. She took a deep breath feeling more calm and centred than she had in a while she uttered the words that would forever change her life "Hello baby, I'm your mama"
The news that Ruby was keeping her baby spread around the town like one of Regina's evil cursed clouds and it honestly kept Victor up at night even more than the nightmares of what had happened to her, he was torn between being in awe at the fact that she was having the baby and then anger that she was put in that position in the first place.
When she came in for her first scan she was alone. He had bribed his way to being the Doctor on duty in the maternity ward that day so he could be the Doctor assigned to Ruby's pregnancy.
"Hello Ruby" he said as she hoped on the table "How are we doing today?" he cringed at the question and how she seemed to flinch at it "I mean…" he stammered "I'm sorry I meant…" Ruby nodded smiling thinly "It's ok" she whispered "I know what you meant" Victor nodded grimacing at the awkwardness in the room that had increased ten-fold. "No Granny with you today?" he asked and then flinched when she shook her head "She's struggling with the decision" she whispered "And anyway she's busy with the diner so…" she trailed off and Victor nodded.
"Well" he said "Why don't you lift your shirt and we can have a look at your baby" Ruby smiled and lifted up her red knit sweater, showing the gentle swollen curve of her belly. Victor sighed miserably he was loathe to admit that he had had dreams of this moment-the bravest, beautiful, truest woman in Storybrooke swollen and pregnant with his child. She still looked as beautiful as she had in any of his dreams.
He gently went through the motions of spreading the gel on Ruby's stomach and holding the monitor over the swollen bump. There was the whooshing of the baby's heart beat and once Whale had ascertained that the baby was healthy and had sent Lauren the nurse on duty to print of a copy of the sonogram he turned to Ruby who was looking slightly more happier than she had before, she arrived.
He was turning to pack away his things when she coughed quietly "I just wanted to say Doctor" she muttered "Thanks for… that night… for finding me…and not leaving me to die or anything" he turned around and stared at her uncomprehending for a moment, how could she think that he would leave her in a dark alley in the middle of the night? Did she really think that low of him?
"No need to thank me" he said "I wasn't going to leave you there, it's what any half-decent person would have done" Ruby nodded hoping off the bench and smiling wider than she had in a long time. It looked genuine anyway.
When she left he gently reached into his pocket fingering another copy of her sonogram he had kept. Victor hated that even when the baby was little more than the size of a peanut and she was prepared to do this on her own.
Ruby had been trying to cope but as the months progress she was quickly getting tired of the looks and the stares and the judgements that were being thrusted upon her. Granny was trying her best to be supportive of the situation that she had chosen however the knowledge of what her great grandchild's father was taking it's toll on their usually close relationship.
She had moved into Belle's flat above the library as the young librarian was now living with her husband and she was safe in the flat (Rumplestilskin having doused the place in protective magic when she was living there) the apartment was big enough to fit a crib in the main room as well as taking a spare room which could be a baby's room. Belle herself had been a great help not judging her whatever and the young woman had ensured that Gepetto was making all the baby furniture for her and that she was well stocked in terms of toys and clothes, and the day before her scan with Doctor Whale Snow had used the charm she had used on Regina and Belle when they had been pregnant.
Ruby had been more relieved than she could say when both science and magic had confirmed she was having a girl.
It was when she was painting the nursery that she felt it. The little kick from her baby girl that in Ruby's opinion showed that she approved completely of the bright red and gold nursery, with the pine wood crib.
She was looking out the window when she saw Victor crossing the street. He looked tired almost as tired as Ruby felt. She wanted to go over to him and talk to him as normal person would but she didn't know what to say. All those months ago when she had saved his life it had been the beginning of something new for the both of them and Ruby had felt that they had had a deep understanding. They had both felt like monsters and both unintentionally caused the death of someone that they had loved. While she had stopped changing while she was pregnant, Red knew that there was a good chance her daughter could have the curse of a child of the moon and she wanted to talk to Victor about it.
But she was knew that she couldn't. She was damaged goods, and Victor didn't deserve damaged goods, he deserved someone who wasn't pregnant and therefore didn't come with the catch of a child and wasn't scared of being out alone at night.
She was nearing her seventh month of pregnancy when she received a gift through the post that changed her mind. It was a little stuffed wolf complete with matching stuffed claws and was completely adorable. The note said it was from Victor. She had barely made it to Archie's office before she had broken down crying still clutching the stuffed toy in her hands.
"So Ruby" Archie had said placing a glass of water in front of her when she had sat down on the sofa "What seems to be the matter?" Ruby swallowed down the lump in her throat and stared out the window "I feel like someone will never love me again" she whispered hand patting her belly. Archie stared at her knowingly "Someone ever?" he said softly "Or someone special?"
When Ruby went into labour it was a windy day in March and she was sat in the hospital feeling like a nervous wreck. Since "the incident" nobody had ever seen that part of her but herself and she wasn't brilliant with the idea of letting a group of people peer down at her when she was at her most vulnerable. It wasn't like Belle or Regina's pregnancy where it was either surgery or her husband delivering her baby, she was doing this on her own.
It was Victor who came in when she was nearly eight centimetres along and told her quite sternly that it was he and he alone that was delivering her baby. Ruby was a mess by that point the pain having made her weepy and the drugs she had injected making her dopey. The only good thing was that her Granny was there holding her hand the old woman having come around and even being excited by the idea of a great granddaughter.
And in the end it took at least three hours for her daughter to be born.
Victor had collapsed the minute he had got home. Three months ago he had helped give birth to Ruby's little daughter Rebecca Lucas who was a little brown haired brown eyed bundle much like her mother. She was a cute little button of a thing and even from afar Victor couldn't help but love her. It was a twisted version of what he had wanted for so long. Ruby with a baby. But he had been desperate for it to be his baby.
He had been stopped by Archie today who had strangely reminded him that as one of Storybrooke's main doctors he was still required to check up on the baby when she was at home. He had an appointment with Ruby tomorrow (and had circled it in red three times) and wasn't going to miss it. She had been better than before the baby was born he noted, she was walking out more and she was receiving counselling and from what he had gathered Emma was beginning to close in one the group of George's soldiers that had been hiding in the forest (with Robin's help) and Victor hoped it was only a matter of time before they had the scumbag in custody.
He knocked onto the door of the apartment above the library and was kept waiting only a half a second before the door opened. Ruby had her hair in a high ponytail and was wearing black leggings and a knitted red jumper clutched in her arms was Rebecca and looking at them Victor couldn't help but wish that this could be reversed, that she was in their house and he was coming home to his wife and his daughter and would be greeted with a kiss. He shook himself out of that fantasy sharply with the reminder that he had to be professional and that Ruby didn't need another man in her life (and if she did it wouldn't be him) and that if he didn't stop gaping at her she would shut the door in his face.
Once he had checked over the baby (who was perfectly healthy) he turned to pack up his bags when Ruby stopped him "Do you… em… would you like a cup of tea Doctor?" she asked her hair hiding her face.
Victor nodded trying not to look like a complete prat.
Once there was one tea, there was another and another and soon they were spending at least three afternoon's together with Rebecca just chatting, three weeks after Rebecca's first Christmas Emma arrived with the information that the man who had attacked Ruby had been identified and found. And on Rebecca's first birthday Victor finally asked Ruby on a date, and she accepted. It wasn't your conventional happy ending but it was a happy ending all the same.
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